I had never before questioned their dislike of the Middletons, but now that I do it does seem a tad ungrateful of them. They have been offered somewhere to live, are promised that they can dine at Barton Park pretty much whenever they choose, call upon Sir John's carriage whenever they may have need of it, and they even get a free newspaper thrown into the bargin. I'd say they should count their blessings. But perhaps they are still getting used to the fact that they have come down in the world, and miss the acquaintances they have left behind-maybe any new society would be compared unfavourably to the one they left at Norland. They may even be sub-consciously a bit resentful that they must rely on the Middleton's charity rather than being seen as equals.