 E. M. Forster describes Sharp as being "on the make"; for example, when she first sees Amelia's brother Jos, who is a revenue collector for the East India Company in Calcutta, she immediately asks Amelia whether he is very rich, because, "they say all Indian Nabobs are enormously rich".She is obsessed by money; unlike Amelia, who thinks that £2,000 () will last her a lifetime, Sharp thinks that nothing less than £5,000 () a year would be sufficient.Sharp's selfishness is even more highlighted when her husband is preparing to leave on the Waterloo campaign; she is more concerned that he has protected her income in case he is killed than over the risk to his life.