In my opinion, Pride comes for Austen's sharpest criticism. He chose to personify this trait in several characters in "Pride and Prejudice", although it is difficult to find a character who represents only prejudice, in the entire novel. When prejudice manifests itself in this novel, Jane Austen showed it in the hands of a famously proud character. Since prejudice is not personified (e.g. represented as a serious characteristic flaw), I believe it should not have been subject to harsher criticism from Jane Austen. Jane Austen described pride in her minor (functional) characters as a means of demonstrating its importance as a theme of this novel. Lady Catherine is one of the main offenders, her airs, arrogance and pride are fueled by other characters such as Mr. Collins who is put there to satirize proud people and their followers. Another important character to note is Mr. Darcy. He's an extremely important character in this novel, an important character, and I think the fact that he was perceived as "proud" at the beginning of the novel by the reader, by Elizabeth, and by the county community, and our perception, along with that of Elizabeth, her character has changed over the course of the novel and this points to Jane Austen's criticism of pride and snobbery (suggesting that once pride (and with it prejudice) is eliminated a character becomes much more supportive. Note that Lady Catherine does not waver from her proud and arrogant position from the beginning to the end of the novel, this in part to provide a contrast between Mr. Darcy's supposed arrogance at the beginning of the novel and his behavior at the end.) In all this In the novel we are shown the arrogant and haughty dispositions of the upper class of this society (we are also shown the exceptions to the rule, namely Mr. Bingley and Miss Darcy.) These people are extremely proud of their. large fortunes and properties and, because of the emphasis placed on monetary matters at the time, are prejudiced (and commit acts of prejudice) against their financial and social "inferiors". An example of this is the beginning of the novel, the ball, when Mr. Darcy snubs Elizabeth Bennet in an act of prejudice. He refuses to dance with her because she is "not beautiful enough to tempt me.