By the by, The Painted Veil was a not so much about repressed poshos as you parse it, but rather redemption. It was practically the only occasion where WSM went near approaching a moral conclusion. His work conversely demonstrated a dispassion for his characters, which some have wrongly associated as disdain or even dislike. In fact it allowed his characters to take on a believable credibility & depth and not mearly be the subject of his unconscious desire.making the reader form these conclusions on their own.