Pride is a constant presence in the characters' attitudes and treatment of each

other, coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mistakes. Pride
blinds Elizabeth and Darcy to their true feelings about each other. Darcy's pride
about his social rank makes him look down on anyone not in his immediate circle.
Elizabeth, on the other hand, takes so much pride in her ability to judge others
that she refuses to revise her opinion even in the face of clearly contradictory
evidence. This is why she despises the good-hearted Darcy for so long, but
initially admires the lying Wickham. Yet while Pride and Prejudice implies that no
one is ever completely free of pride, it makes it clear that with the proper moral
upbringing one may overcome it to lead a life of decency and kindness. In the end,
the two lovers are able to overcome their pride by helping each other see their
respective blind spots. Darcy sheds his snobbery, while Elizabeth learns not to
place too much weight on her own judgments.

Prejudice in Pride and Prejudice refers to the tendency of the characters to judge
one another based on preconceptions, rather than on who they really are and what
they actually do. As the book's title implies, prejudice goes hand in hand with
pride, often leading its heroine and hero into making wrong assumptions about
motives and behavior. Austen's gentle way of mocking Elizabeth's and Darcy's biases
gives the impression that such mistakes could, and indeed do, happen to anyone;
that faulting someone else for prejudice is easy while recognizing it in yourself
is hard. Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a person's moral
development, something that can be overcome through reason and compassion. Austen
only condemns those people who refuse to set aside their prejudices, like the
class-obsessed Lady Catherine and the scheming social climber Caroline. Though
Pride and Prejudice is a social comedy, it offers a powerful illustration of the
damaging effects to people and to society that prejudice can inflict.