] I cannot feel sorry for Lucy because of her mean-spiritedness, but if you think about it, it is Elinor who is the 'other woman' in this case.

] Were the situation reversed, and it had been Elinor who had been engaged to someone for four years, only to have him fall in love with someone else and then return speaking very highly in the other woman's praise, I could not feel less than outraged and incensed on her behalf.

Interesting you raise this since that's exactly the feeling we should be getting for Colonel Brandon throughout the whole story! the poor thing so in love with Marianne but she and Willoughby close as kittens.

the only difference is that since the Colonel is not the focus of the story, Jane Austen hasn't elaborated on his character enough for us to really see that he's a fantastic person.