What strange creatures brothers are!

The line wryly compresses Austen’s recurring observation that familial bonds—especially between siblings—can be simultaneously intimate and baffling. “Brothers” here suggests a particular kind of social power: men who are expected to be protectors or moral guardians, yet who can behave inconsistently, selfishly, or with surprising blindness to the feelings and interests of the women closest to them. The exclamation reads as amused exasperation rather than outright condemnation, capturing Austen’s talent for diagnosing everyday domestic contradictions. It also hints at the broader theme that kinship does not guarantee understanding; affection and duty coexist with ego, habit, and social expectation.