What is the main conflict in Elective Affinities; by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe?

Many of the conflicts and problems in the story are related to the desire to break a social rule. Although divorce was legalized in England by King Henry VIII, divorce was considered immoral and disgraceful. It was so abhorrent that the characters rarely use the term "divorce" but instead say "separation." Ottilie's position in life is painful, not just because she is in love with a married man, but because she is forced to enact the parasitic role of Poor Relation.