Navigating Social Class Pressure
When Class Shapes Every Choice
Elizabeth visits Charlotte and meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt. Lady Catherine embodies aristocratic entitlement—she interrogates Elizabeth about her family, education, and accomplishments with no shame. She sees these questions as her right as social superior.
Key Insight
True aristocracy doesn't just have wealth—it has the confidence to be openly rude because consequences don't apply. Lady Catherine's interrogation reveals how class hierarchy operates: those at the top don't need to follow social niceties that govern everyone else.
