Implicit Rule
Definition: a rule about a behavior that has not been clearly articulated but is nonetheless understood
In season 2, an implicit rule is broken when Frank sleeps with Lip's love interest, Karen. It is a complicated situation because Karen is just trying to get back at her father, Eddie, for calling her a whore; she sleeps with Frank because Eddie hates him the most. When Lip finds out, he calls his father out on his promiscuous actions and disowns him- along with bringing it up throughout the entire rest of the show because it is obviously hurt him. Now, although Frank is on drugs and drunk at the time, it goes without saying that a man should not sleep with his son's girlfriend because it is both wrong and breaks trust; that is what makes it an implicit rule.
Implicit rules are unspoken rules (Floyd, 2017). These rules are usually known in a group of people or by a certain culture. Many people know these rules even though they are not written down or physical spoken (Floyd, 2017).