] ... I draw the same conclusions here. If Elinor confided in her mother and sister, your quote above makes it clear that they would be full of tenderness towards her, and sorrow on her behalf. This is not the kind of emotional support she needs, but it's not exactly "emotional neglect", either!

Yes, they would be very tender, but it would take the form of hours of crying and lamenting over her when what she needs is someone to tell her she's being brave. Then they would insist on rehashing it every day for weeks, ignoring her every attempt to get past her disappointment and move on. And if she did manage to find pleasure in life soon, or even tried to, it would be put down to her having less feeling than Marianne.