Gitelle was a static character. Her scars, both internal and external, paralyzed her. She did not evolve. Her sole focus was rescuing her family and moving Isaac to achievie financial success. Being a prisoner of her past Gitelle was not a free actor, and I am not able to classify her as either a Clever or a Stupid.
Isaac was greatly influenced by Gitelle's advice. He was constantly striving for success although his drive for perfection in the machine shop much more complimented Abel's view of life which defined success as a job well done in an enterprise that the actor enjoyed as opposed to Gitelle's view which measured success purely in terms of economic gain.
Gitelle reserved her advice for Isaac and did not share it with Rively. In the traditional Jewish home the role of the male was to financially provide for the family while the woman cared for and nurtured the children and kept the house. Gitelle's admonishing Rively to be a Clever would have been inconsistent with the culture of which the Helgers were a part.
Avrom's lion/mare distinction focuses on strength (which can be physical or mental) while Gitelle's clever/stupid distinction focuses on mental prowess. I believe that both characters were really saying the same thing--to reach a goal the actor much have intelligence, resolve, determination, strategy and cunning.