The Irony of Olive's Motivations
Olive wants to write for her children. She believes that she's being the best wife and mother she can be by becoming a successful children's author. The unfortunate part is that her career causes her to neglect her children and become out of touch with them. If she actually considered their feelings, she would learn that they really just want her to be their mom again. Instead of lots of money, they want to spend time with their mom.
The Irony of Humphry's Jealousy
Humphry is jealous of his wife because of her successful career and because she doesn't give him any attention anymore. He feels slighted since, as a prominent banker, he should've been the most interesting member of the family, and reputation is important to him. Instead of talking to Olive about his feelings, he starts pursuing other women in secret. He doesn't get any satisfaction from the affairs, however, since the only woman he really wants is his wife. In his desperate jealousy for her, he pursues other women in order to make her jealous back somehow.
The Irony of Olive Writing Children's Literature
Olive writes children's books, but she doesn't base them upon her own children. They aren't her inspiration, although she claims they are the reason she writes. In reality she stays in touch with her own childlike qualities in order to write from the mindset of a kid. Despite having seven perfectly useful muses running around her home, Olive prefers her own company and thus ignores a valuable resource which would lend some authenticity to her stories.
The Irony of Olive's Jealousy
Olive starts to become jealous of her sister, Violet, when she hears her refer to herself as the children's actual mother. Olive is upset that Violet would take such liberties, but her response is ironic because she was the one who invited Violet to become their nanny and housekeeper in the first place. In order to devote more time to her writing, Olive relegated her mom duties to her sister.
The Irony of Charles Wellwood's Delinquency
Charles grows up in a reputable household. His dad is a respected, wealthy banker. And his mom is very present throughout his childhood. Compared to his cousins' lives, he's a pretty normal kid. His cousins' parents are both radical socialists. Olive essentially gave up on being a mom in order to pursue her career. It's surprising, then, when Charles, the cousin, turns out to be an anarchist. He gets up in a political movement, which none of his family could have reasonably predicted.
