"Can anything be more galling to the spirit of a man," continued John, "than to see his younger brother in possession of an estate which might have been his own?

That this is the thing he finds most galling is very interesting to me. Perhaps this reveals that he himself did not want to share anything of monetary value with his sisters, regardless of his promise. His wanting his sisters to come stay with them in London came with the calculation that it wouldn't cost him any money.