between the characters is very telling. Catherine genuinely cares for her friends and, especially, her brother, so her willingness to risk their displeasure to do what is right seems even more important in the face of their shallow affection and insistance on a selfish, inappropriate scheme.

I think it also gives us another chance to observe that Catherine is not just a silly little girl - she makes a principled decision and stands firm, but she also feels the difficulty (and inappropriateness) of being forced into a situation where she will have to disappoint someone. This was a real turning point in my understanding of her character, because she decided this on her own (even though she was later buttressed by Mr. Allen's opinion).