Robert Ferrars
Vain and foolish brother
Edward’s younger brother, who cares most about fancy clothes and showing off.
Who is Robert Ferrars?
Robert Ferrars is Edward’s younger brother, a vain and silly young man who loves fancy clothes and admiring himself in mirrors. He brags about his grand style and pokes fun at country folk. He is nothing like his humble, kind brother, and when his mother hands him the family fortune, it leads to a surprising twist.
Robert Ferrars is a character in Sense and Sensibility, the 1811 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Robert Ferrars like?
- vain
- silly
- boastful
Robert Ferrars’s story
Robert Ferrars is Edward’s younger brother and the son of the wealthy Mrs. Ferrars. He is a fashionable young man who thinks very highly of himself. Elinor first sees him in a London shop, where he spends so long choosing a toothpick-case that she is kept waiting. He is silly and proud, and he thinks he has excellent taste.
He looks down on his shy brother Edward and thinks his quiet manners are embarrassing. He talks proudly about cottages, saying he is excessively fond of them, and he tells Elinor that he would happily design one.
When Mrs. Ferrars disinherits Edward, Robert receives the family fortune. Soon afterward he marries Lucy Steele, the woman Edward had been engaged to. After a while Mrs. Ferrars forgives them, and the happy and well-off couple settle in London. Robert is a comic character in the book, a warning of how easily money and vanity can go to a person’s head.
“He was giving orders for a toothpick-case for himself”
A moment to remember
In a London shop, Robert spends a whole hour choosing a fancy ivory toothpick case while Elinor waits politely.
Family and friends
- Edward Ferrars: his older brother
- Fanny Dashwood: his sister
- Lucy Steele: the woman he marries
- Elinor Dashwood: meets him in a shop
Talk about it
Robert and Edward are brothers but very different. What makes each person in a family special in their own way?
Questions about Robert Ferrars
- Who does Robert Ferrars marry?
- Robert marries Lucy Steele, who had been secretly engaged to his brother Edward.
- Why does Robert get the family money?
- Their mother cuts Edward off when he refuses to end his secret engagement. She gives Robert the inheritance instead.
- How is Robert different from Edward?
- Robert is vain and loves fashion and showing off. Edward is quiet, kind and serious about doing the right thing.
Read the story in
Sense and Sensibility
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
