Dalton's Mother Ellen
After returning from the Caribbean (to paraphrase the book), Dalton's mother spent the rest of the 1960s "wandering the streets of New York in search of inspiration for her short stories." This image connotes an observant character. However, it is ironic that she did not recognize "the social and physical dangers that lurked around her."
Ellen and Men
Dalton's mother also had a number of relationships with men, but it is ironic that "they would confess to her that they were gay."
Manhunt
When Dalton plays Manhunt (a variation of hide-and-seek) with his friends instead of packing his things, his mother comes to get him. After finding her boy, she "wrapped her arms around [him] and gave [him] a big kiss, overemphasizing the smacking sound of her pucker," which he ironically considers a punishment, as he is humiliated in front of his peers.
Dalton's Lie
After Dalton's mother gets to know that he stole chocolate bars and a comic book, she drags him back to the store to apologize. The proprietor asks him what he learned. Clearly, she expects him to have learned that stealing is bad--however, ironically, he has learned that he can get away with lying, or at least withholding information. Indeed, he demonstrates this kind of behavior later again when he "withholds information" from the fire department after setting his friend's apartment on fire.
"Child Labor"
Having been told that stealing is illegal, Dalton starts working part-time at a candy store until his principal calls his employer, threatening to sue him because child labor is illegal. Dalton finds this ironic because it seems as if the only way he can get money is by stealing again--there is no legal way for a child his age to earn money.
The Vocational School Curriculum
The curriculum at the vocational school is ironic because its goal is to give troubled kids a perspective. However, it includes life skills such as changing typewriter ribbons-- which, as Dalton concludes "would be entirely useless in the imminent computer age," and would, therefore, not serve its purpose at all.
