Don knows Sloan’s a hell of a lot smarter than him (“She’s got 50 IQ points on both of us, there’s nothing I could ‘put in her head.'”) and Sloan knows that Don sees her as a full human being and doesn’t cherry pick from her smarts, looks, or insecurities. After an old boyfriend leaks naked pictures of Sloan on the internet, Don knows instinctively how to be the exact kind of friend she needs in that moment. I love how, even in that incredibly intimate scene where he sits next to her on his office floor while she cries, Don doesn’t make any move to hug her or wipe her tears. He knows that the last thing she’d want right then is a guy – any guy – to touch her. He just sits with her, calls her “impressive” (swoon), and helps her move from the humiliation stage to the rage stage.
(c) "What I have can't be taught" - In appreciation of Don Keefer.