What a jerk Ethan is!  He thinks of no one but himself.  He makes a scapegoat of his wife and loves to wallow in his self pity.  Be a man Ethan and take responsibility for your choices like Wharton said you would but your actions spoke so much louder than her words.
He wants to be an engineer but one can tell he is not too bright in the head.  I mean that coasting accident....wouldn't that be basic physics?  Being an engineer shouldn't he know that an impact at that speed cannot kill?  
How can anyone sympathise with Mattie when she was the only one with other options...instead she chose to ruin Zeena's life, the person who gave her shelter.  She (Mattie) was so pretty on the outside and completely empty on the inside.   Such a two faced little tart!
Zeena....she was the only one who acted rationally.  Yes she is jealous and bitter and she has every right to be.   And she silently puts up with her cheating husband and his imbecilic mistress for the rest of their lives.  She's got CHARACTER!