Hester threatens Arthur just to get him to come out of hiding. Obviously, showing capriciousness this lack of obligation not only torments Dimmesdale in the long run, but Hester and Pearl, the daughter of Hester and Arthur. For a whole seven years Dimmesdale is absent from his lover and child's lives; they both endure a time of chastisement from the community without support form anyone. Openly showing Hawthorne's attitude about irresponsibility as diminishing the integrity of a person and those around him. A person asking another to cover their rear after having the chance to make up for their sins and continually receiving more chances of reconciliation without utilizing them is purely inexcusable and is deserving of punishment to Hawthorne. And punishment is what Dimmesdale receives.
Yet again, Hawthorne insists that the lack of responsibility tarnishes relationships when Dimmesdale does try to manifest his guilt. Consequently the dubiousness of Dimmesdale's character endures to the second scaffold scene. There he finally wants to admit his guilt on the scaffold at night but cops-out because he still, deep inside, does not want to be frank to the matter. It has been many years now since the first scaffold scene, and of course, Dimmesdale is not going to reveal his sin now, and so he will not later until he dies. Not admitting what he had done and not answering for his sins only hinders Hester's efforts at raising Pearl. By now Hawthorne makes it obvious that Dimmesdale is cowardly and fickle, all due to his lack of responsibility. He goes to profess his sins in the middle of the night, when everyone is asleep and will not hear his confession. This unmistakably is suggesting that he still does not want to admit his faults. Dimmesdale creates the mold for how Pearl and Hester live for the rest of the book. And what he created for them was a life of being scorned by society for many years without anyone else to turn to because he never visited or met with them.
