Why was a husband's character so important in determining a woman's life in the early nineteenth century?

A husband's character was important in determining a woman's life in the early nineteenth century because, at that time, women had very few legal rights of their own. If women did not marry "well" (that is, to a man who was secure financially), it could spell disaster for them down the road. Also property could be handed down only to male heirs, which often left single women dependent on distant relatives. If a husband were kind and had good character, he would likely "allow" a woman greater freedom. If he were not, women had little if any recourse against that.