In Pride and Prejudice, why would Jane Austen create such a "mix" of characters in one family, such as the Bennet family?

In my opinion, the variety of characters in the Bennet
family in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice allows the author to
draw attention to the many kinds of people within the society of which she is a part,
hold up within the reader's view the chasm within society based upon wealth and station,
and how different characters are affected by the variety of characters that interact
with the Bennet family.

One reviewer praised
Austen's:

readability="5">

...characterization and her portrayal of domestic
life.

It is also stated that
these elements provided a depth to her novels, and a departure from the popular gothic
novels of the time.

readability="6">

[She concentrated] on personality and character
and the tensions between her heroines and their
society...

In terms of the
variety of characters, consider Wickham and Darcy who are both members of the
upperclass. However, the distinction between the two men in terms of moral character and
ethical behavior show them to be completely different. This becomes appallingly apparent
when Wickham elopes with Lydia—with dishonorable intent. Darcy, who is such a snob at
the beginning of the story, goes through a transformation because of his interaction
with the Bennet family, especially Elizabeth, that is not of the upperclass. Elizabeth
herself, throughout the novel, also learns to see Darcy differently, though she has
little regard for him at the start of the story.

The
interaction between characters allows for a study of the society of which Austen was a
part. Her novel examines the...

readability="6">

...delicate business of providing proper husbands
and wives for marriageable offspring of the middle
class...

The variety of
characters from the upperclass and the middle class allow the opportunity to examine the
differences of people and their behavior based on social standing, that people can
change, and that one should never judge anything or anyone simply
based upon one's perceptions, but rather deal in facts.