Character Analysis
A woman with an impressive family tree and all the right social and political connections, Millicent Bruton enjoys having important men over to her lunches. Most wives, she believes, get in the way of their husbands’ careers with all their illnesses and silly concerns. As you can tell, she pretty clearly sums up the patriarchal society in which she lives.
Her cause at the moment is shipping able-bodied British citizens off to Canada in order to avoid overpopulation. Clarissa longs to be invited to one of her famously amusing lunches; and if Clarissa envies her, you know she's an important lady – Clarissa doesn't socialize with just anyone.