I agree with you that empathy and honesty play a big role in building a healthy relationship in a couple. If partners manage to strike the right balance through an optimum combination of empathy and honesty, that would be an ideal situation. I would like to add that physical attraction also plays a role in setting limits in empathy and honesty, which means that if two people like/love each other, this will prevent them from victimizing others or becoming victims themselves in a relationship.