There exists nothing that displays wealth better than clothes. Education and attitude do show in some aspects the wealth of a person, but clothing and the elegance of it just mirror wealth. Today examples of this are constantly seen. When people buy the brand new cleats or shoes everyone knows that they have certain amount of wealth. On the other hand, when people buy cheaper shoes their wealth is also shown. A person who can't afford the new shoes will certainly have to buy another brand of shoes. In other words clothes do vary depending on levels of wealth, in some way they classify people as wealthy or poor. As said by Mr. Collins "Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and daughter. I would advise you merely to put on whatever of your clothes is superior to the rest" (Austen, pg120). Elizabeth's clothes are not expected to be as good as Lady Catherine's. Lady Catherine has a lot of wealth compared to Elizabeth. In effect, their clothing differs greatly showing their differences of money. In other words, clothes are constantly showing the level of wealth a person has.
Wealthier people in Pride and Prejudice are seen as better and their opinion has a higher value. Lady Catherine constantly talks almost without letting anyone speak their opinion. The lower the wealth of person is the less he talks. This might be a clear distinction Austen wants to make of social class. According to Austen: "The two girls had the honour of assisting Mrs. Jenkinson to make up her party. Their table was superlatively stupid. Scarcely a syllable was uttered" (Austen, pg 125). Mrs. Jenkinson occupies the charge of a nurse. She is portrayed as the least wealthy person out of the whole party. Since she has less money than the rest her opinion doesn't value as much, making her a silent person in presence of wealthier people. The more money a person has, the more his opinion will value, and the amount he talks is affected by this.
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