I have always wondered what JA was trying to get at with the last paragraph of Chapter 4 - especially - "[speaking of Mrs. Thorpe's past] in which the worthlessness of lords and attornies might be set forth, and conversations, which had passed twenty years before, be minutely repeated."

I wonder what it says about Mrs. Thorpe's character? I also wonder if it says anything more about what JA actually had in mind about the Thorpe's past (why would worthless lords and attornies be an important part of the family's history? Is this perhaps why they are in tight financial straights now?)