There are several people in S&S who are foolish, which seems to encourage us to shrug and smile at their behavior more than let it infuriate us. John tops the list, but there is definite cruelty in the games Sir John and Mrs. Jennings get up to in teading Elinor about the wittiest letter in the alphabet, etc. And Mr. Palmer is frequently a real goop to his wife and her relatives. The latter folks I mention do not have the fault of been really, really miserly that JD has, but then he wouldn't do some of the creepy things they do.