What might Mrs. Peters be said to represent in the clash of attitudes at the heart of the play?

Mrs. Peter's serves as a symbol or representative of the woman's role in a patriarchal society. She defers to her husband, and she steps aside to fulfill her role without opposition to law and order, justifying the men's work as their duty. Over the course of the story, however, both Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale glean information about Minnie's life that the men could never understand, which in turn, makes Mrs. Peters a symbol of womanhood and understanding. In the end, she doesn't step out of her role as dutiful wife, but she does withhold information that is considered by the men to be nothing more than "trifles". Why share unwanted insights?