As Lillian Robinson says in her article titled, Why Marry Mr. Collins, "Charlotte Lucas married Mr. Collins because it was the only was she could have a life" (S. R.85).
The lack of "sense or feeling"(103), as Elizabeth styles it, apparent in Charlotte's rash judgment, is not entirely dissimilar to that of Lydia Bennet as they both demonstrate imbalances of character. Both characters bring reputation to light and show the common contextual view of love from Austen's time. The polar extremes of the romantic characters they illustrate are highly significant, as they in turn highlight the novel's example of moderation in human behavior, Elizabeth. Although her's is not always the ideal character, it is vastly superior to Lydia's, which is romantic without being reasonable, and Charlotte, whose cold pragmatism is evident in her materialistic perception of the marriage institution. In her disgust at Charlotte's behavior, Elizabeth says, "you shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle and integrity, nor endeavor to persuade yourself or me, that selfishness is prudence, and insensibility of danger, security for happiness" (91). While Lydia does this in her apparent thoughtlessness as to the shame her act could cause to her family, Charlotte's lack of sense is contrarily shown by her inability to look beyond social acceptability and act with an ethical sense of romanticism. As Lilian Robinson realizes, "no one has offered for Miss Lucas and her prospects are not very bright", so her acceptance of marriage ensures her the respectability which she otherwise might have passed through life without (S. R. 76). The extremes which the two characters represent are evidence of their importance, because they represent opposing sides of the debate over reputation, and being thus highlight the character of Elizabeth, which is at once divergent to social acceptance and also demonstrative of morality in love.
