Little Killers (situational irony)
The most significant instance of irony in the novel is the fact that the Martians, being so advanced in technologies and weapons, were still vulnerable to bacteria, the most basic of life forms. Human weapons and technology proved nearly useless against the Martian onslaught, but tiny bacteria were able to topple this fearsome enemy.
People’s Greed (dramatic irony)
When running away from London, the narrator’s brother observers a dramatic scene: a “bearded, eagle-faced man lugging a small handbag, which split and disgorged a mass of sovereigns that seemed to break up into separate coins as it struck the ground. They rolled hither and thither among the struggling feet of men and horses. The man stopped and looked stupidly at the heap, and the shaft of a cab struck his shoulder and sent him reeling. He gave a shriek and dodged back, and a cartwheel shaved him narrowly. ‘Way!’ cried the men all about him. ‘Make way!’ So soon as the cab had passed, he flung himself, with both hands open, upon the heap of coins, and began thrusting handfuls in his pocket. A horse rose close upon him, and in another moment, half rising, he had been borne down under the horse’s hoofs. The man was writhing in the dust among his scattered money, unable to rise, for the wheel had broken his back, and his lower limbs lay limp and dead.”
Even in the situation of possible death, people tend to think about money. This is ironic because money no longer has much meaning following the collapse of humanity—it would make more sense to hoard medicine or food.
Routine (dramatic irony)
In ironic contrast to their later panic, most people are only mildly curious when the cylinders are first discovered: "For the most part, the daily routine of working, eating, drinking, and sleeping, went on as it had done for countless years—as though no planet Mars existed in the sky." (pg. 41) The narrator suggests that their ignorance of the threat is as absurd as refusing to acknowledge the planet of Mars in the sky.
The Landlord of the Spotted Dog (dramatic irony)
The narrator borrows a cart from the landlord of an establishment called the Spotted Dog in order to bring himself and his wife to Leatherhead after the Martians arrive. He promises the owner that he will return the cart by nightfall, and he does so. However, on the way, he is interrupted by one of the tripods and discovers the dead body of the landlord of the Spotted Dog. The narrator didn't have to return the cart at all since the landlord was dead, but his commitment led him to get separated from his wife.
