Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-23906605-20131017110136/@comment-4839682-20131029025437

So he should have... what? Stayed with Emma? Which would have been great, but then she'd have no reason to go to Storybrooke (Henry). Staying with Emma would have been the easier task.

We don't know how much August knew or didn't know, or how much he told Neal. And August wasn't some random stranger, he was a man from Neal's homeworld who knew too much. It's not the average "Guy told him to leave his girlfriend" situation. Since we don't know what was known by either men, it's a bit premature to be assuming intent, or calling people cowards. All we know is the result; Emma was put in the position to make the choices she needed to to break the Curse. If Neal had stuck around, those events likely wouldn't have happened.