Regardless of whatever legal obligations came with the property, which would be more Colonel Brandon's problem than hers, custom would require Marianne to play a prominent charitable role in the village, dispensing alms, advice, visits to the sick, and other personal attention to such of the poorer villagers as had need of them.

To see someone going about learning these responsibilities, albeit with blunders, see Emma. To see someone performing them in entirely the wrong spirit, see Lady Catherine de Burgh.