If you're looking for something 'period' to pin on a scoundrel character, consider Wife Desertion (AKA abandonment).
In a time before the large-scale entrance of women in the workforce and the modern welfare state, a woman who was abandoned by her husband was in dire straits. Especially if she had young ones at home.
Note that this was not just 'bad form' – it was illegal! Sheriffs were known to go after delinquent husbands, arrest them, and bring them back to face a judge.
Wife desertion was also grounds for divorce.
On the other hand, not everyone accused of 'wife desertion' was guilty. If a husband left 'with the consent of the wife' (i.e., she threw him out), it wasn't desertion. And it wasn't desertion if the wife provoked him into leaving, or did something worthy of divorce (i.e., adultery).
So when designing memorable characters, consider making your scoundrel guilty of abandonment… or maybe those are just rumors…
Or maybe your female character is searching for the missing husband, either because she wonders what became of him, or she just wants to prove she tried to find him so she can divorce him for abandonment…
Or the son who wants revenge on the long-lost father who abandoned them…
Or a law enforcement officer in pursuit of a delinquent husband…
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