“Anne could have said much, and did long to say a little in defence of her friend's not very dissimilar claims to theirs, but her sense of personal respect to her father prevented her. She made no reply. She left it to himself to recollect that Mrs. Smith was not the only widow in Bath between thirty and forty, with little to live on, and no sirname of dignity.” (Chapter 17)

I really do not blame Mr. Elliot for not wanting to marry Elizabeth and I think Elizabeth’s hopes for him had no basis in reality so I do not blame Mr. Elliot for her hurt feelings either. I cannot blame Mr. Elliot for thinking Sir Walter a fool because I do too, but it is common to give a person respect for their position or title. Anne must not think very highly of Sir Walter’s intellect but she does treat him with respect because he is her father. Not everyone is as good as Anne Elliot, I know. The excuse for Mr. Elliot in this instance is that Sir Walter had nothing to do with him as a boy, but decided to force an introduction when he wished to unite Mr. Elliot and Elizabeth for his own purposes. Under these circumstances, I do not blame Mr. Elliot for being unwilling to accept him as the head of the family and I cannot pin much importance to his rude comments about Sir Walter and Elizabeth except for what ordinary manners would condemn. I agree that the sender need only be accountable to the addressee for the contents of a letter.