You missed an important section.

5. Ful-service properties vs mid-scale properties without free breakfast vs mis-scale properties with free breakfast.

If someone mostly stays in Hampton Inn or Embassy Suites or Homewood Suites at Hilton, and Fairfield Inn or SpringHill Suites or Residence Inn or Townplace Suites at Marriott, their breakfast is free without any need for status.

If someone stays at an FS Hilton or an FS Marriott, mid-level status or higher gets roughly the same (mid-level status is less likely to get lounge at Hilton, more likely to get lounge at Marriott, top-level status gets lounge in both programs).

On the other hand, if someone stays at Hilton Garden Inn at Hilton or Courtyard at Marriott, that's where the big difference occurs (free cooked-to-order breakfast a HGI, no free breakfast at all at Courtyard).