] -- The Bingley sisters' "behavior at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general". So why don't the locals think as poorly of them as they do of Darcy?

Does it say how the locals feel about them? All I remember is that everyone thinks poorly of Mr. Darcy, especially the Bennets because of his slighting Lizzy. However, the Bingley sisters are kind to Jane, which makes the Bennets (everyone except Elizabeth, anyway) like them. Does it say how the rest of the neighborhood feels about the Bingley ladies? If it does, it quite escaped my notice.

In regards to the nicknames question, some nicknames are used only with family whist others are what people always go by. An example would be that both of my parents call me Gracer (my middle name being Grace), but when they are introducing me to someone they always introduce me as Kristen. On the other hand, my dad is always introduced as Dave, though his name is David. So, the Kitty/Catherine/Lizzy/Elizabeth thing makes sense to me.