Sorry for bringing in Dickens. All the same, the London of JA's period was nearly as nasty as in Dickens's time: it hadn't got so large, but there were still lots of coal fires, horses and industries.

To get back to JA: one of the many virtues of S&S 2 is that they allowed you at least a glimpse of nastiness as people were crossing the street. And there's plenty in the archives about the necessity of wearing pattens.