Economic Shortcomings
Though Mr. Bennet appears to be an agreeable character, for he does not become involved with Mrs. Bennet's plans, he does have shortcomings which have a real possibility of affecting his wife and daughters' futures. Early in his marriage, his view was that "economy was... perfectly useless". Instead of saving for the future interests of his family, he elected to spend his entire income. This choice was supported by his wife, who "had no turn for economy".
This lack of economic foresight did not bother Mr. Bennet because he assumed his wife would eventually bear him a son, who would join him to cut off the entail and secure the financial future of the rest of his family. Since a son was never born, his wife was at risk of impoverishment should he predecease her, and he had no resources to attract suitors for his daughters by means of sizable dowries.
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