he appears to be so jolly that sometimes we ignore or defend the negative aspects of his character. As I have posted before, I am most disturbed by the two things you stressed: his lack of concern over the reputation of his daughters and his failure to provide for their economic future if they do not marry. There seems to have been a bias in this read against Mrs Bennet (almost always dismissed as an empty headed fool) that for some justified Mr Bennet's behavior -- if you have a silly wife you get a pass (I know that is an over-simplification). But I feel empathy for Mrs B, as she must know that she is married to a man with little concern for the future of his family.