That people cope with emotional abuse in different ways does not justify emotional abuse. As plenty of people mentioned in the thread, this was a different time when women had less possibilities and support systems for themselves.
These are, most likely, the issues that lead to the demise of the relationship in the first place. It is the only way their living arrangement would be able to continue at all.
I was saying that because someone agreed to a set of conditions, it doesn't make the conditions necessarily okay or reasonable.
I don't really understand the fuss. At the time it was a normal arrangement in marriage for women to take care of the house. That arrangement in itself is not belittling to women, it is simply division of labor. Household chores are not less worthy than other labor (if you believe they are, see what feminism did, apparently it belittles women even more). The letter says nothing about his wife not being allowed to pursue other options. Even today some people voluntarily choose such arrangements. And it is merely his conditions, she is free to not accept them.