"What is virtue but the Trade Unionism of the married?"

This quote by George Bernard Shaw is a funny way of looking at marital relationship. He is suggesting that marital relationship resembles a trade union, in that it is a method of protecting the interests of the two individuals involved. He indicates that the virtue of marriage is that it supplies a way for two individuals to keep an eye out for each other and to make sure that their interests are considered. He is recommending that marriage is a method of ensuring that both celebrations are treated relatively and that their requirements are fulfilled. In this way, marriage is a form of unionism, because it is a method of securing the interests of both parties.