making allowances for the time, and her situation. Lizzy could not be prevailed on to accept the simpering moronic Collins, but she is quite sensible of her family's situation. She is not like Charlotte, and could not accept a man she could not respect, but I think that given a choice between life with a man she respected and liked or life without Longbourne, income, or prospects, she would have been hard-pressed to discard the option. Remember that it was wildly unlikely for a young lady of that time, especially a virtually portionless young lady, to expect to receive three marriage offers in a lifetime.