The lives of the inhabitants of the English estate are trivial and unremarkable; their interests—personal comfort, ambition, and money—are petty and insignificant. Lies, hypocrisy, and sanctimony destroy the well-being and order of the Mansfield Park household, depriving its owners, their children, and their relatives of mutual understanding and unity. How is one to live? How can a sense of reason be brought to this chaos of universal discord?