Anyone else see the beginnings of "early" Darcy in JA's description of Mr. Palmer in Chapter 40?

[Stephen]

Mr. Palmer is described as having fallen in the habit of thinking himself superior after surrounded by "silly" women who don't challenge him mentally.

When I came across this bit I thought that it might have been a great explanation for why Darcy acts the way he does in the early chapters of P&P. He really has no one around him to keep him humble.