Septimus: morality under the microscope

Septimus clearly has questionable morality, yet we seem to find him ultimately sympathetic as a character and take delight in his cuckolding of Mr. Chater. What does this say about us? Are we sadistic or do we grant Septimus permission to flout the moral codes of the Regency period because of their inherent hypocrisy?

Consider Septimus' actions in the play and evaluate his moral rectitude in light of these questions. Also, look at this link and consider whether we can label Septimus as a nihilist and, if so, whether the play advocates nihilism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism