Another Evening at the Club

This story was disturbing. A man and wife accuse a servant of stealing a ring that they later on discover has simply fallen behind a piece of furniture. The young servant girl has been dragged off by the police and has been beaten regularly in an attempt to draw a false confession from her. Rather than doing the right thing and admitting to the discovery of the ring, this man and his wife choose to allow the torture of the young servant to continue and go on living their lives as if there is nothing wrong with their choice. This story is a perfect example of what might happen in a culture where the biggest concern is what your neighbors think of you. These people avoid telling the truth because the husband feels that revealing it will let people know that the wife had a beer before dropping the ring behind the furniture. Why does this man just assume that this is what people will think? Is it completely inconceivable that someone might misplace or lose a ring somewhere in their own home and draw an incorrect conclusion? Why didn't they just make up a story and say that they discovered a break in had occurred and that the young servant was innocent? I really wanted to slap these two hard across the face.