Would you believe that there is such a thing as politics of cheating? Just like in regular politics, couples dealing with infidelity observe specific rules and standards which they deem acceptable to both of them. Each is expected to understand the parameters of a relationship and is expected as well to accept the consequences for going beyond what is allowed.
The most common standard among married couples is that infidelity is not acceptable and therefore cannot be tolerated in the relationship. It is clear from the start that the cheater risks the possibility of losing the faithful spouse when infidelity is confirmed. Many couples tie the fidelity agreement with matters pertaining to finances, property, and rights to children probably in the hope that each will think many times before deciding to cheat.
Many couples have an unspoken truce to accept the infidelity of the other without expressly saying it and as long as it does not result to public embarrassment especially to the cheated spouse. Some subscribe to the belief that what they don't know won't hurt them. Others just look at infidelity as a minor inconvenience in a much larger picture of preserved marriages typically of those in important social positions.
Couples can agree to grant the privilege of "cheating" to each other such as in open marriages. Although extramarital affairs are mutually allowed and therefore does not strictly constitute cheating, certain rules are still to be observed such as the knowledge of the partner with regards to the sexual relation with another. The context of cheating arises only when one partner purposely hides a particular affair from the other.
People enter marriage under a general rule but usually end up with their own modifications to accommodate their preferences. That is how politics is, always trying be ahead of the other.
