While you have brought up very public, very powerful examples, I have something like this happening in my very immediate circle.

The woman who stands beside a philandering, disgusting, pedophilic (I know this first hand) man has a duty of care to the victims. She keenly feels this, deeply regrets her inability to act.

However, she doesn’t carry it out. She stays with him and in this case I cannot see why. She makes more money than he does, has more stability and logically, generally doesn’t “have to stay".

Except she feels she should.

I have talked to her for many years and I notice a displaced sense of care(what would he do without me) and a deep seated distrust of emotional change(better the devil I know, who else would want me) and a pearl clutching(I want my kids to have a father) and finally a sense of “I failed at life if I have a failed marriage".

Took me years to uncouple her from the actions of the man she chose. Forgive her yawning lack of character and understand that I still want her in my life.

For me, now, I see what you say loud and clear. My only salvation has been to accept the humanity of all the people involved.