Re: ballroom?

The Bennets were the principal inhabitants of Longbourn (not Meryton), whereas most of their neighbors lived in the countryside round about and some probably had their own little country villages, of which they in turn were the principal inhabitants--though it is a good point that some of them do seem to be renting, like Bingley, rather than established owners, like the Bennets. The novel seems to show them on a fairly equal footing with their neighbors, but I think we could almost infer that from the absence of Mrs. Bennet's boasting about their social superiority!

I do think the Bennets probably could have thrown a ball if Mr. Bennet hadn't hated the thought of them. After all, it seems to have been more common to give dances in a drawing room (especially if the dining room opened out of it, and all doors between could be opened up) than in a dedicated ball room; if I remember right those were pretty newfangled appurtenances of modern houses, and I don't think we have indications of Longbourn being modern. But back when things like food, lighting, and heating were a drastically higher percentage of people's income than they are today, when stuff cost more and labor less, entertaining was drastically more expensive than it is now. This is pure theory but I'm guessing it's Mr. Bennet's determination to keep the books balanced against all his wife's influence, as much as his disinclination for noise and company, that prevents them giving a dance.