Pliny's fixation on presenting positive feminine exempla seems to leave little room for the seedier side of Roman elite existence. In his treatment of men, we do repeatedly see great villains like Domitian or Pliny's archenemy Regulus, as well as some of Pliny's other oratorical rivals and, of course, the men he prosecutes, each of whom has somehow failed to fulfill the requirements of the ideal Roman man – sometimes egregiously. But even in these considerations of disgraceful behavior, Pliny's purpose is either to highlight his own achievements or to offer the reader a stark contrast to his own character. Women of questionable reputation (with whom, of course, Pliny would not wish to be associated) are rarely considered, but they are not entirely absent from the Epistulae; yet none of them receives the kind of close attention that Pliny gives to his ideal wives, and only one is described at any length, Ummidia Quadratilla, whose weaknesses, while they are discussed in detail, Pliny masterfully manipulates until they become a source of strength.