What chiefly distinguishes reversed simile from preoccupation?

Purposes of Simile: Possibility, Condition, Degree, Beautification, Disfigurement and Reversal

• Reversal only identifies unknown qualities; preoccupation always measures degree
• Reversal indicates equality; preoccupation necessarily establishes superiority
• Reversal omits the comparator; preoccupation always omits the marker
• One inverts a benchmark; the other reveals psychological focus