I mean it's not like she was asking for a lot. They have plenty of food stores. But Earl Hall wasn't willing to scale down what resources they use to "maintain their status as nobles" which I find exceedingly selfish. They can give enough to alleviate the situation of the poor for a little bit and buy precious time to brainstorm and come up with a more sustainable solution. But he doesn't want to do it because he isn't willing to dial down their lavish lifestyle. Audrey wasn't asking to starve the family to give to the poor. She just wanted even a little amount to buy time. I know this is 3months old but I just think you're wrong in this case. Earl Hall had it right until he mentioned "maintaining status as nobles" something as lofty as remaining lavish in a time such as this is more selfish than one should be. There's a bottom line and he crossed it.