At 21 I suppose neither of them had known many disappointments in life yet? It makes me feel so sad. One of the things I've heard people (non-fans) complain about in JA's novels is they always end the same way, with everyone getting married, but in real life it was almost rare I get the impression, for all the right circumstances to come together so that you could. People died so much younger, in general, and illnesses like pneumonia were so much more dangerous. Class divisions were more rigid. It was hard to earn enough to be able to marry, it was down to luck whether you inherited enough. Travelling was dangerous, as if being in the military doesn't bring enough of its own dangers! In that context it makes me think of her novels as fairy tales!