fathers in Jane Austen's books. He is not vain, or silly, or disengaged from his children. He is interested in the welfare of his family, his absent sister-in-law and her large brood, and seems to realize that Fanny misses her siblings and especially her favorite brother. He is the head of the family and takes his responsibilities seriously. We really don't have another father like him in Austen's works IMO, and I feel he is closer to what a real father of his station was like at that time.