A 100 years ago marriage was needed for survival. People worked longer hours outside and inside the house. There was no time to worry about the little things we do today.
My impression is that poor finances are a great contributor to a lack of peace in the house. My impression is that 100 years ago they had less and expected less. Therefore if they were married and poor, that didn’t bother them as much as it bothers us today. They had (almost) no expectations to meet.