I think in Victorian times the main thing was keeping up the outward appearances of virtue...whilst conducting a great deal of vice behind closed doors! ;-) There was a great deal of illicit sex occurring in that society.

Pretty much like now, in other words...hypocrisy was rife...but people were a lot more formal in Victorian times.

If you think about present day politics, for example, the vital thing, again, is keeping up the appearance of political virtue. Meanwhile there is all kinds of outrageous chicanery and dishonesty going on in the halls of power. You can lie, cheat, and steal all you want...just DON'T get caught! ;-) Getting caught is the one thing that is politically unforgiveable.

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bowdlerization - To remove material that is considered offensive or objectionable from (a book, for example).

Yes, I'm against it. I'd rather let the public freely decide for themselves what is offensive or not than pre-empt their decision by making it for them.