How does Jane Austen's use of two settings in Sense and Sensibility affect the story?

One major theme in Sense and
Sensibility compares the lives of the working class to the gentry class. The
Dashwood women, due to the fact that their half-brother, their mother's step-son,
inherited the estate, are forced to leave and accept a cottage from a relative as a
residence. The two settings of Norland and Barton Cottage serve to help illustrate this
theme.

We do not see much description of Norland, except that it is
"so respectable a manner as to engage the general good opinion of their surrounding
acquaintance" (Ch. 1). In other words, it is a very large, very wealthy, very elegant
manor house and estate. Other than laying out the theme, Norland also serves to help
characterize both Marianne and Mrs. Dashwood who both feel the grief of their losses
with such passion that "[t]hey gave themselves up wholly to their sorrow, seeking
increase of wretchedness in every reflection that could afford it" (Ch. 1). Marianne is
especially seen giving a farewell speech to Norland that greatly resembles an ode from
her favorite romantic poets (Ch. 5).

Barton Cottage serves to portray
the Dashwoods in their new working-class situation because the house and the rooms are a
great deal smaller than what they are used to, and the staircase is not grand. Mrs.
Dashwood hopes to save up enough to build extensions and widen the staircase, all on
£500 a year.

Besides being the backdrop for their new life, it also
helps serve as a backdrop to paint Marianne's romantic sensibilities.  In other words,
like Norland, Barton Cottage also aids to develop characterization. From the beginning
we learn that the cottage does not quite match Mrs. Dashwood's, nor Marianne's romantic
vision of what a cottage ought to be. For instance, "The roof was tiled, the window
shutters were not painted green, nor were the walls covered with honeysuckles" (Ch. 6).
It is also described as being situated in front of high, woody, rolling hills and they
have a view of the whole valley. Additionally, it is surrounded by beautiful high downs
Marianne is drawn to climb and which aid in plot development (Ch.
9).