"From the quote, it appears that divorce is out of the question, too."
We have new friends who were both in intolerable first marriages (her first husband was abusive). Both had children from those marriages but they have very successfully combined the two families.
When they moved here they joined what they thought was going to be a great church -- and then folks found out this was a second marriage. Members of the congregation essentially drove them out for "living in sin."
I guess it would be better to raise the kids as single parents?
Judging the way other people live is a great sport for some. Maybe they didn't have cable TV in their area.