Whether Alec or Angel contributed most to Tess’ hardships is a loaded question, but when looking at it in the scope of things it is quite apparent that Angel was the one who gave Tess the most pain. Without a doubt Alec did in fact “rape” Tess causing him to be a major threat, and in addition, his nagging personality is the center of much scorn from Tess. But Alec is not the one who brings Tess her worst hardships; her husband Angel, the man who vowed to be with her for life but left her because she was not celibate, is the one that brings the most agony. He left her even more susceptible to Alec’s predacious behavior. Angel not only blames Tess for what Alec did, but tells her that is why her family is in their current position. “Decrepit families imply decrepit wills, decrepit conduct. …show more content…
The very man that Tess claimed love not only blamed for her own “rape”, but also said that the reason her family is poor is by their lack of will. The period when Angel leaves Tess is the most struggling thing we see her go through; her pain can be noted in a letter to him, “I must cry to you in my trouble—I have no one else! I am so exposed to temptation, Angel […] I am desolate without you, my darling, O, so desolate! […] How silly I was in my happiness when I thought I could trust you always to love