"Those who see a model as a mere crutch
are like those who consider metaphor
a mere decoration or ornament."
This suggests a search for "Analogies between Analogies" —
“A mathematician is a person who can find analogies
between theorems; a better mathematician is one who
can see analogies between proofs and the best
mathematician can notice analogies between theories.
One can imagine that the ultimate mathematician is one
who can see analogies between analogies.”
— Stefan Banach, according to MacTutor.