Adultery is the inner betrayal of the interests of authority and of the responsibilities the subjects have to submit their desires to that authority. It is an assault from the inside. It is what God warns the Children of Israel not to pursue in lusting after strange gods.
Cowardice is the external betrayal of the interests of authority and of the responsibilities the subjects have to that authority. It is a failure to defend against an assault from the outside.
We presume the architects of social mores believe both adultery and cowardice (failures respectively in chastity and fortitude) can be contagious and certainly strike at the heart of what is sacred to the authority, to the Old One.
Weakness in the character of the males in a society undermines the authority's duty to wield power to defend against external threats. Weakness in the character of the females in a society undermines the authority's duty to organize a unitary internal power base.
Other authorities cannot treat with such weakness of character. To treat with cowardly allies is to invite attack from third parties; to treat with adulterous allies is to invite internal dissension in one's own society.
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