In nine cases out of ten a woman had better show more affection than she feels.
– Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6. Charlotte Lucas’s first rule of love is that a woman must show more affection than she feels in order to get a husband. This is because of the gender inequality that existed in English society then, with women suffering the disadvantages of being part of a patriarchal system where many needed to marry in order to have financial security.