Van,
The mere fact that she was alone in the heat of the day suggests that she was not appreciated or accepted by the other women in her community.
It appears she wasn’t banned from being there but she wasn’t brazen, she felt ashamed. Nothing was going to change her reputation —but God drew her to Jesus. How special she must have felt to have that privileged encounter with THE MESSIAH! And how jealous the other women must have felt, giving her courage to forgive herself and feel good about herself. She now had substance to face them. She could look at them without having to look down. Now, she could repent with dignity.
Van, the account doesn’t focus on whether or not she was being mistreated or not appreciated or whether or not any rebuke she was receiving was wrong. “ You spoke well, you’ve had 5 husband.” Even Jesus brought it up to her. And she knew she had a reputation. Don’t blame it on how people felt about her conduct. A respectable woman didn’t go around marrying 5 husbands and living with a guy in that society. The account doesn’t focus on that is was wrong for the society to have feelings about that. Seems to me she was beautiful enough for 5 men to marry her one after another so those men didn’t mind. The account focuses on her feelings.