Reading Response: A Room with a View

I identified with poor Lucy in some places of A Room with a View and in others, not so much. We have our typical marginalizing of Italians occurring, but the notable difference here is that we at least see them long enough for the author to construct some sort of criticism of them. It seems, however, that maybe it's not the author who criticizes the Italians but rather the text's construction of the characters themselves. For instance, this passage--

Italian in the mouth of Italians is a deep-voiced stream, with unexpected cataracts and boulders to preserve it from monotony. In Mr. Eager's mouth it resembled nothing so much as an acid whistling fountain which played ever higher and higher, and quicker and quicker, and more and more shrilly, till abruptly it was turned off with a click.

I'm not sure, though, because at the same time, we have this image of the two Italian men fighting over a debt, and the stabbing that occurs therein. A Room With A View constructs Italy as this place of definite action, where things happen to Lucy that otherwise wouldn't if she were back in England at home, but the actual opinion of the Italians themselves is a little muddy to me. I'm hoping class will open this up a bit.