A Thief Has Entered the Room (Situational Irony)
While the narrator sleeps next to Begum Jaan, she wakes to Begum Jaan's quilt shaking and swaying. Begum Jaan tells the narrator to go to sleep. The narrator then hears a second voice in the room and she says aloud that she thinks a thief has entered the room. A reply comes from Rabbu, who says there is no thief. In this instance of situational irony, Rabbu stops trying to be discreet and reveals herself as the second voice to help dispel the narrator's fears of a thief.
The Virtuous Nawab's "Strange Hobby" (Situational Irony)
The narrator explains that Nawab Sahib was considered a very virtuous man because "no one had ever seen a nautch girl or prostitute in his house." However, the nawab has the "strange hobby" of keeping various male students living with him. The narrator implies that the nawab pursues sexual relationships with the young men. In this instance of situational irony, the nawab's outward appearance of virtuous abstinence from sexual contact with women is explained by his implied indulgence in homosexuality.
Amma Believes in Women's Segregation (Situational Irony)
Toward the end of the story, the narrator comments on how her mother ("Amma") believes that women should be segregated from men. Amma fears for her daughter's safety and sexual virtue when she mixes with her brothers and their male friends. But in an instance of situational irony, Amma's solution—to leave her daughter to stay with Begum Jaan—puts the narrator in immanent danger of same-sex molestation and abuse.
