I must say that with time Mr Bennet strikes me as a sadly inept parent. Is it not cruel- even unworthy of a mature man - to make fun of Mary when she tries to find her way in the world? I wonder if he ever tries to help her sort her ideas out? There are times when he places her a snap above Kitty & Lydia. His interest in the bringing up of his children was probably ebbing by the time of Mary's birth. That's perhaps when he had fully realised his mistake in choice of wife?
In chapter 7 there is a lengthy and entertaining parental exchange about silliness and talking of officers and in the middle of it, he makes fun of his wife - as usual :-{ - saying:
'If my children are silly I must hope to be always sensible of it.'
'Yes but as it happens, they are all of them very clever.'
'This is the only point, I flatter myself, on which we do not agree. I had hoped that our sentiments coincided in every particular, but I must so far differ from you as to think our youngest two daughters uncommonly foolish.'
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