For many, much of one's life is a constant battle between the temptation and immoralities of any given event, action, or desire. It is those said events, actions, and desires and the final verdict upon each of them that shapes a person's ethics, persona, and outlook on life. It is those battles, those events, actions, and desires that occur between Ishmael and Hatsue and it is their personal decisions that decipher the outcome of their lives.
At the commencement of the novel, it is apparent that Ishmael and Hatsue have some spark, despite it's fading, ever-lit between them. It is when they act upon those emotions that it is more than evident that they do not intend to reserve these feelings. In turn, they are both forced to face the harsh realities of this affair.
Because of this adulterous love affair, Ishmael, as respectable journalist and high ranking citizen, would be indefinitely shunned by the anti-Japanese theories that plague society during that era. In addition, Hatsue would be criticized for her adulterous relationship, not to mention questioned for her affair with a man not of Japanese descendants.
It is upon these findings and these revelations that Hatsue begins to notice that what she is engaging in is anything but ethical. When she finds herself in a compromising situation with Ishmael, it is that exact moment that she finally notices her reality and realizes that what she is doing is in fact wrong.
That point in time for Hatsue affected both her and Ishmael for the rest of their lives. Ishmael was hoping to live a life of serenity and love with Hatsue, while it was her decision to end the affair on the basis that it truly was unjust.
For many, their lives are riddled with confusion, absurdities, and struggles. For many, the demands of life prove too strenuous. For many, decisions are immorally made. Yet, for Hatsue, her own passion is derailed for the passion of another.