My last post was a bit of a ramble, So I want to try to clarify & condense what I mean with my criticism of the characters moral compass issues, which I feel would have made the characters & overall story have more depth & immersion.
So to clarify, with the morality breakdown, it's overly simplistic. You're either a plain, boring & insecure good person who's only "good" because your self value comes from how others perceive you, or you're a confident, fun elite person that disregards the opinions of others, (though not really as Jessica pointed out), & seeks out self gratification regardless of the consequences. There's no real self evaluation. You're either accountable to other people or accountable to no one. There's no real concept of empathy, honor, justice, etc...
So when it comes to things like cheating for example, I know that I would never cheat on my partner, (well partners because I'm poly but we won't get into that). & the sole reason is because I love them & the thought of betraying them or causing them harm sickens me. I don't care about what others think or about the risks of getting caught, All I care about is protecting them from harm, not being the source of it. That kind of ethic is lacking in this game.
Now I understand that obviously the characters are going to cheat, that's the point of the game after all. Cheating & corruption for the faps. I get it. My point is, the characters would be better & more realistic if that fundamental element was part of their morality. But when Ashley cheats, she's so focused on how pleasurable it felt that it overrides most of her guilt & remorse, & her guilt only comes from realizing that it was wrong in the eyes of others & they would look bad on her if they ever found out. There's no element of "Oh shit. How could I do this to the man I love". That internal struggle would make the characters more believable.