What quotation from Hard Times could explain the treatment of the adultery theme in the novel?

A possible example could be this: 'I have heard all this before', said Mr. Bounderby. 'She took to drinking, left off working, sold the furniture, pawned the clothes, and played old Gooseberry.' (p.71) This is because Dickens does not address directly the theme of adultery in the novel. He, in fact, makes it appear only in a different space from that of the novel: Stephen's past, in particular, his wife's conduct. 'Played old Gooseberry' could be referring to an episode of adultery she has committed before leaving her husband. This indirect and almost hidden reference shows the author's interest not to follow the expectations of the audience, who might have preferred an explicit act of adultery, the "scandal", as in the fashion of the time. Instead, he plays with the reader, expanding the dimension of the character beyond the novel itself.