Sadness as a strange riddle
The narrator uses a metaphor to describe sadness, saying that "the way sadness works is one of the strange riddles of the world." Here, he describes sadness as being a riddle that is elusive and difficult to understand.
Sadness and fires
Here, the narrator uses a simile to describe sadness, comparing it to a fire that causes pain and spreads over all the areas in a person's life:
"If you are stricken with great sadness, you may feel as if you have been set aflame, not only because of the enormous pain but also because your sadness may spread over your life, like smoke from an enormous fire."
Eyes
Count Olaf's obsession with eyes is a metaphor for his obsession with keeping track of the Baudelaire children and their fortune. It seems like he is always aware of where they are and what they are doing.
Count Olaf
Count Olaf's voice is described as being an "inhuman roar." This metaphor suggests that Count Olaf is like an animal, due to his cruel and vicious personality.
