Was Madeleine stupid? Of course not. She was just as intelligent as Dyon was. However, she lacked an understanding of humans.
The reason behind Dyon's ability to read the situation so well, why he could weasel his way out of seemingly impossible situations, wasn't just because he was smart, it was because he understood people, types of people, and how those different individuals acted in different situations. For this, Dyon had no one else to thank but his mother.
Dyon's father had always been a stoic and silent man, but he was highly intelligent. Still, he lacked in emotional intelligence, something Dyon's mother seemed to have an endless amount of. Dyon's mother was the Head of the Logistics&Intelligence division of the American government. It was her job to coordinate not just information, but people as well. She always taught Dyon the importance of understanding the person before formulating a plan around them.