Narration: Cassio mentions to Iago in the Act 2 Scene 3 Page 12 of William Shakespear’s famous play “Othello”(many thanks to sparknotes.com).
Michael Cassio loses his self-control after he gets drunk and starts a brawl. Because of this he attacks roderigo with a sword thereby creating a ruckus and scaring the public. Because of this Montano steps in and ends the fight there by Cassio he gets demoted from lieutenancy. For Cassio reputation was the most important thing in life. When he lost it he began to act differently and could not face Othello as Othello lost faith in his once best friend. Iago took this opportunity to convince Othello that Cassio was cheating with Desdemona.
What this refers to is that Reputation could play a big role in making or breaking the trust on any person. So when any person’s reputation gets tarnished, others take advantage of it to spoil it more and make it work for their own ways.