Ari Being Ashamed (situational irony)
Ari is deeply ashamed of loving Dante and keeps his love hidden both from himself and his family. The irony of this is that once he admits to himself that he loves Dante and allows himself to be proud of it, he finds that he has discovered the secrets of the universe that he has been looking for.
Dante's Fear of Coming Out to his Parents (situational irony)
Dante is comfortable in his sexuality but he is scared to come out to his parents because he doesn't want to disappoint them. The irony in his situation is that his father has already guessed that his son is gay and has also realized that Dante loves Ari, because of the way he looks at him. Ari's fear is completely unfounded and it turns out that his parents just want him to be himself.
Ari's Therapy (situational irony)
Ari's mother wants Ari to get therapy after his accident so that he can express his feelings and resolve his anger. This is ironic because Ari's family never talks about anything and he feels as if he lives in a house full of secrets; it is surprising that his mother would suggest therapy when the whole family, it seems, could use it.
Aunt Ophelia (situational irony)
There are no other family members at Aunt Ophelia's funeral, and this is because—apart from Ari's parents—they have all ostracized her because she is gay. The situation is ironic to Ari because he thought his parents would be a little bigoted about Dante's sexuality, and he also worried about what they might think if he loved Dante and finally admitted it. It turns out that they are so accepting that not only did they stick by Ophelia but they also went against the rest of the family to support her.
Ari's Brother (situational irony)
Ari is obsessed with solving the mystery of his brother, whom nobody speaks about. It is as if he died and nobody will tell Ari about him. Ari wonders what having an older brother at home would be like. Somewhat ironically, though, his brother is in jail for killing a man because he was gay. This would make him, on the face of it, not a great brother for Ari, because he clearly hates gay people. Rather than enhancing Ari's life, as he at first believes, his brother would destroy it.
