 Mrs. Elton has "friendship" with Jane Fairfax while "claims intimacy" with Mr. Knightley.The use of the these terms "friendship" and "claim intimacy" refers to the question of who belongs to the local elite.Neither Emma nor Mr. Knightley question the right of the elite to dominate society, but rather their power struggle is over who belongs to the elite, and who has the authority to make the decision about whom to include and whom to exclude, which shows that in a certain sense that Emma is just as powerful socially as is Mr. Knightley.