"I hate everything about our lives right now, Klaus," she said, "but we have to keep our chin up."
The three little heroes find themselves in a dire situation. Not only did they lose their parents and their home, they have to live with their hateful cousin Count Olaf, who cares about nothing but their money. Nevertheless, the orphans have each other and rely on each other. Even when one of them has negative thoughts the other one helps by shifting their thoughts into positive and encouraging.
"Whatever Count Olaf has done," Mr. Poe said, glancing down at one of his papers and circling a number, "he has acted in loco parentis, and there's nothing I can do about it. Your money will be well protected by myself and by the bank, but Count Olaf's parenting techniques are his own business.
The adults in the novel completely fail the three orphans. Wherever they turn to help they are dismissed, discouraged and disappointed. Mr. Poe was their parents’ friend, but even he doesn’t want to stand on their side. He is basically telling them that Count Olaf can do whatever he wants with them, as a substitute for their parents, and he couldn’t care less. Not only do the adults fail the youth, but they are also not protected by the law.
If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.
The novel is filled with sections of authorial intrusions. The author directly talks to the readers at the very beginning warning them about the sadness and unhappy ending that they will come to witness by reading his book. It is also clear from the language and tone used that the main audience of the book are children. Not only that, but the book is filled with explanations of certain phrases and words as a way to also teach the readers about the language itself aside from the important messages of bravery and persistence.
