Thanks for the reply!

It's hard at times because people like her "close friend" act like they have ownership rights on her, and she submits to them and acts like nothing is wrong. I guess the key thing is that the relationship with the husband is over, since that was presently her biggest problem. At first I considered her close friend to be harmless, it still wasn't healthy but it wasn't as bad as her husband, but I now realize he is encouraging her to continue being a doormat. He also regularly seems to bring up topics that cause her to become worried and agitated about in real life.

I think some of her attachment stems from actually meeting him once, and at a time when the relationship with her husband was worse than usual. Apparently, even though she had been with many "jerk" guys, "no one decent ever offered to take me anyplace decent", and apparently "her close friend" did. I really can't judge him fully, I just know what I have seen, that he is very immature, and pushing his own agenda with her(ie a romantic relationship).