The fact that Abigail would keep Lovell around, despite the fact that he is inappropriate with her shows her vulnerabilities as a woman at that time. Her husband is away and while she is good at acting strong and authoritative, she is a woman essentially doing what was a man's job at that time. She doesn't escape John's criticism, however, when it comes to her financial management.
Both John and Abigail are people that never were concerned with the luxuries of life, but it is how Abigail makes her money while John is away. She sells the things that woman want and think they need and she is able to survive off of this.
At the end of chapter fourteen, Abigail shows her strength and her entrepreneurial sense again by stating to John that she wanted to buy a 1,650-acre tract in Salem. Once again, it is hard to imagine a woman of this era doing all of this on her own with only the help of her husband...
She has had to deal with the emotional strain of having her husband and son go (and then another son, Charles, who decides to return back home alone), but she is also under financial stress and must depend on others -- such as Lovell -- to giver her a hand. The chapters show the strength of the relationship between John and Abigail, but they also show that their marriage was not at all easy. Abigail was dealing with advances from Lovell and the sometimes criticism of her husband while all the while trying to keep a roof over her head. Her financial savvy is apparent in the chapters as we also see in the investment she makes through her uncle. Any way one looks, Abigail is a revolutionary woman.
Reference:
Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams. Free Press; 1st edition. 2009.
