Jane Austen doesn't really talk about nobility in her books, her hightest ranking is like a Lady or a Knight. In Pride and Prejudice, Lady Catherine and Sir William are the two. It helps you to understand because she focuses more on the average perosn than on nobility but she still shows us the power that those people feel that they have. Lady Catherine is very demanding and she thinks that she can do whatever whenever she wants. She uses her power to manipulate people into doing what she wants, like Mr. Collins. The Bennett family, being of little money and power are thought to be less than those like the Bingley's or the Darcy's. They have minimal income and not much land. If you have a title like Lord, Lady, or Sir you will have more power than someone who does not have a title. Money in that time period meant that you have power and that is shown through the characters of Mr. Darcy, the Bingley's, and Lady Catherine. Class meant a lot to the people of that time period. It is mentioned my Lady Catherine that the Darcy family is "untitiled" because Lady Anne Darcy married plain Mr. Darcy. People of higher class would want to keep that title in the family and not marry lower.