He had not much intercourse with any families beyond that circle; his horror of late hours and large dinner-parties made him unfit for any acquaintance, but such as would visit him on his own terms. (Chapter 3)

It seems to me that Mr Woodhouse preferred to keep his acquaintances to those he was already familiar with, gave him some kind of pleasure to visit, or matched the ranks and society that he considered sufficient at the time. In a similar way, Emma chooses to set up her own little "society" by drawing in those whom she felt worthy. In my view, Harriet is weighed against certain "critera", if you will, which Emma previously had already made up in her mind, and was found good enough material to work with and mold into the desired company.

In that way, father and daughter are similar, because they share a rather narrow view with regards to the company they keep - at least, up until this point.