The thing about Frank Churchill is he is terrible to his father and worse to Jane but ultimately that's ignored by pretty much everyone and to me what that's saying is that Emma didn't have to repent, she didn't have to try to make amends with Miss Bates, she didn't have to try to connect with Jane, she didn't even have to stop treating Harriet like a toy, she has the social capital and the outward characteristics (handsome, clever, rich) that she might privately upset many people but ultimately she's low-key untouchable. Which makes her decisions to do better far more powerful because they aren't driven by a selfish need for survival, they're driven because she truly repents.













