original_post:_5/8/2003__________________ So Rae decides to have an affair. I had a few readers that were upset that Rachael decided to do this, feeling it was kind of an immoral thing to "choose" ahead of time. Their concern is that it sort of cheapened Rae's character. In a way, this might have been true, but I wouldn't say cheapened. It shows that she was still growing, willing to take a chance she wasn't before (even though she doesn't go through with it). Rae is not willing to put up with Max's ignorance and she decides to do something to get back at him. Is having an affair the best thing? Absolutely not. It's immature, selfish, and is never the right thing. But people make dumb decisions in college, and Rae had to go through one to further her character arc. Plus we know she cheated on Max with someone, so this was just another setup of who that might be.