Small rural communities and the upper echelons of society seem to be closely knit.
My guess is that the relative anonymity of the urban masses affords more opportunities to avoid social opprobrium.
My guess is that the relative anonymity of the urban masses affords more opportunities to avoid social opprobrium.
Maybe it's even possible to think of this on a class level? Certain upper middle class societies being very strict about how you should organize your life to conform.