There’s still some reason to doubt Mr. B’s version of events, which paint him as a victim—he tried to use similar tactics earlier to paint Pamela in a bad light. This passage explores many of the conventions around marriage that are important to these characters, particularly how marriage relates to inheritance and how children born outside of marriage were a scandal, even for a libertine like Mr. B. In many ways, this passage is Mr. B’s origin story, helping to explain why he acted so callously toward Pamela at first (because he believed, rightly or wrongly, that women were out to get his money), then later why he chose to marry her the right way (to avoid any future children having the same fate as Miss Goodwin).