This week, with the addition of the Steele sisters to the merry party at Barton, we have an opportunity to observe a third set of sisters interacting, after the Dashwoods and the Jennings sisters.

This book has so many parallel situations in it (more on that in another thread), but the purpose they serve, IMO, is that the contrasts in them reveal a great deal about the characters.

We are not given the opportunity to witness interactions between Lady Middleton and Charlotte Palmer or between Anne and Lucy Steele that take place out of the Dashwoods' hearing, but here are some of the things I noticed:

In each pair of sisters, there seems to be one who is the self-appointed overseer of the social niceties. In last week's reading, we found that Lady Middleton will change the subject when she thinks Mrs. Palmer has gone on long enough about something.

This week we learn that Lucy "generally made an amendment to all her sister's assertions."

We also see Elinor "endeavouring to smooth away the offence" when Marianne tells Lady Middleton how she detests cards and gets up to go to the pianoforte instead.

I think it's interesting how it's generally the elder sister who takes this role, but in the case of the Steeles, Lucy is definitely the leader there.

I also think it's interesting that Elinor does not take the role of criticizing Marianne's behaviour before others and instead intervenes in order to make the other people feel better and draw attention away from what her sister has said or done. Lucy Steele's treatment of her sister is quite different. She publically scolds her "Lord Anne! "You can talk of nothing but beaux." Lucy also tells Elinor that Anne "has no judgment at
all."