After Elizabeth rejected Mr. Collins and then so strongly condemned Charlotte for marrying him, both Elizabeth and the reader cannot help but be curious about how Charlotte is faring in her new role as Mr. Collins' wife. From Elizabeth's observations and the narrator's descriptions, it seems that Charlotte is settling into a marriage very similar to that of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Just as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are mismatched in intellect and common sense, Charlotte and Mr. Collins also display a disparity of temperament. Where Mr. Collins is overbearing and effusive in his interactions with others, Charlotte is well-mannered and modest. When the group first dines at Rosings, for example, the narrator notes the differences between how Charlotte introduces her family and friend compared to how Mr. Collins would have handled it: "as Mrs. Collins had settled it with her husband that the office of introduction should be hers, it was performed in a proper manner, without any of those apologies and thanks which he would have thought necessary."
Additionally, like Mr. Bennet, Charlotte has found ways to distance herself from her exasperating spouse. Mr. Bennet uses his library as a retreat, and Charlotte similarly has chosen a sitting room for herself that Mr. Collins is less likely to invade regularly. Charlotte's approach to Mr. Collins is perhaps more respectful than Mr. Bennet's treatment of Mrs. Bennet, however. While Mr. Bennet responds to Mrs. Bennet's silliness with sarcasm, Charlotte does not react to Mr. Collins' inane statements. As Elizabeth observes, when Mr. Collins says something foolish, "Charlotte wisely did not hear."
