The irony of Harv
Harv is Nell's brother, and he understands the difficulties that his family has gone through since the execution of their father due to his engagement in criminal activities. Satirically, Harv does not learn from his father's mistakes because he also becomes a criminal.
Hackworth’s paradoxical decision
Hackworth is an expert in creating primers, but he has to exercise caution whenever he does that activity. Besides creating primers, Hackworth has political duties that require him to uphold high standards of morality. Creating primers is an illegal activity that can taint Hackworth reputation and ruin his political life. Ironically, he accepts Dr. X's request to make primers for abandoned girls, which lands him in prison for ten years.
The irony of the future
The future is characterized by the introduction of nanotechnology and other advancements aimed at improving human life. Ironically, the future world is chaotic, disorganized and grouped according to tribes. Consequently, the future world does not give positive hope, but it depicts chaos.
The paradox of Tequila
The author depicts Tequila as a paradoxical character who is not lucky in her life. Tequila's first husband is a criminal, and he gets executed, leaving her miserable, and she does everything possible to raise her children, Nell and Harv. Instead of Tequila concentrating on raising the children, she keeps on bringing different who end up violent mistreating her and the children.
