Explain the irony in the chapter title, “The Old Testament.”

Ruth resented her father because he was a tyrant; he disrespected his wife and was abusive with his children, but this didn't stop her from taking a similar approach in parenting. She ruled over her own household, but because her rule was tempered with love and she truly had in mind the best interests of each of her children, her strictness became a standard that the family sought to live up to. Even though she punished her son Billy for blanking during the Easter Sunday service, the lesson prompted Billy to learn to deploy his memory, something which would eventually lead him into medical school. The house was a dynamic mixture of activity, learning, religion, and mutual support, and the eldest brother's success inspired admiration from the rest of the children.