Who is Eleanor Tilney from Northanger Abbey and what is their importance?

Eleanor Tilney is the youngest of the three children of General Tilney and is twenty-two years old during the period of time considered by the novel. Her mother died when she was only thirteen and she has since been raised by her father. Several years older than Catherine Morland, Eleanor nevertheless develops a true friendship with the younger woman and treats her with respect and kindness. Eleanor is everything that Isabella Thorpe is not—wealthy, of true character, and worthwhile as a friend.