How is Mr. Bennet so chill?
Throughout the book, we see Mrs. Bennet obsessing over getting her daughters suitably married and worrying what might happen if/when her husband dies. Because if Mr. Bennet dies before his daughters have secured good matches, they would be at a risk of not having a roof over their heads. Exactly why she is so keen on Collins marrying Lizzie.
I understand that Mr. Bennet is portrayed as ‘sensible’ and wise. And he does not want his daughter to be marrying someone like Collins just out of fomo. But where is the practicality in all that? Jane and Lizzy are not too young in the book and time is against them. Mr. B has no way to predict that things would change for the good and his two eldest would find such rich husbands. It could have turned any other way honestly.
So how is he so chill about the entire thing and while Collins might be pompous and stupid but he wasn’t a bad man. Why was he so much against him?