The paradox of the class system
In the United States of America, class is associated with wealth, and super-rich people are categorized in the upper class. While in America, Milly is wealthy, and she belongs to the upper class. Ironically, when Milly meets an Englishman called Merton, she realizes she does not belong to his class. Merton comes from a lower class in Britain, and he is not allowed to marry Milly because she belongs to a different class. On the contrary, despite being wealthy, Milly does not mind marrying Merton even if he is poor. The paradox is that Milly and Merton love each other but cannot get married because the British class system cannot allow them to mingle.
The relationship between Kate and Merton
Merton is dating Kate, and he looks forward to marrying her. However, Merton knows very well that he loves Milly, but he cannot marry her because of his class. Ironically, Kate's goal is to create an environment for Merton to seduce Milly so that they can get married. Under normal circumstances, Kate should view Milly as her rival, but she does the unthinkable when she asks Merton to seduce Milly. Kate thinks Merton can only escape poverty by marrying Milly and inheriting her wealth when she dies.
The satire of Milly
The author depicts Milly as a satirical character because despite knowing she is about to die, she lives her life to the fullest. Unlike other characters that might be sad that they will die soon and leave their wealth, Milly wants to go on vacations and live in palaces before her death. While in Venice, Milly lives in a palace, and she is waiting to die.