He needs to cut his losses and move on. He lost the money, but it's not something that he can win back quickly and in the effort of trying to do that, he is digging himself in deeper.
Just a little bit goes a long way.
They're still in the mindset. They could afford to loosen it up a bit. But they're emotionally incapable of it.
They get the same charge out of saving as spenders get out of spending.
It's common that one spouse is the financial enabler.
They were aware they were in trouble in terms of retirement, but they still weren't ready to face reality.