How does The Scarlet Letter agree with the quote "Good people are good because they come to wisdom through failure"?

I think the closest person we can come to is Dimmesdale. Certainly Hester does not regret her sin because she had gotten her precious Pearl out of it. Dimmesdale, however, carries his guilt like a giant cross on his back. His secret eats him up and he even invites the Devil, Chillingworth, into his place. When Dimmesdale finally clues in that he must come clean to the villagers and confess his sins, he feels cleansed. Unfortunately all this cleansing comes a little too late to save his life. His sickness claims him but he did learn that it is always better to "man up" and face his demons. That's the best I can think of in terms of "failures".