Set A Thief To Catch A Thief
There is a saying that to catch a thief you have to set, or use, a thief. This is also true when it comes to serial killers and this is also a situation that is highly ironic. Hannibal Lecter is a psychopathic and dangerous murderer who is really the enemy of all that is on the side of good yet it is Lecter to whom the FBI turn in order to help them identify Buffalo Bill. It is ironic that one evil is utilized in order to identify another.
Dr Lecter Defending Clarice Against Dr Chilton
Dr Lecter is evil incarnate and a threat to everyone he comes into contact with. It is ironic that he defends Clarice when she is disrespected and hit on by Dr Chilton who is essentially on the same side as Clarice. It is ironic that the roles of the two doctors as they would naturally be perceived are wholly reversed.
Dr Chilton's Similarity To Inmate Miggs
Dr Chilton is clearly an educated man given his qualification and his position but ironically he views and treats women in general and Clarice in particular in the same way that Miggs, a sexually deviant inmate who is entirely inappropriate towards Clarice, views and treats women. It is ironic that the psychiatrist treating the prisoners and the prisoners themselves think of and view Clarice in exactly the same way.
Kidnapping of Senator Martin's Daughter
Catherine Martin, the latest kidnapping victim, is the daughter of a Senator and it could reasonably be assumed that she has been kidnapped precisely for that reason - because she is the daughter of a Senator. This is probably be something that the Senator has been afraid of since she took office. The irony here is that Catherine had been kidnapped because she is female, not because she is the daughter of a Senator, and this is the one factor that Senator Martin did not take into account in her reasoning when she discovers that her daughter has been taken.
Dr Chilton's Disregard For Catherine Martin's Safety
Dr Lecter is a cold blooded and insane murderer. Dr Chilton works for the federal prison system as a psychiatrist. It could be reasonably assumed that Dr Lecter would have no desire to help find Catherine Martin and that Dr Chilton would be firmly dedicated to finding her. However when he fears losing credit for "breaking" Dr Lecter he actually jeopardizes Catherine by telling Dr Lamecter that Clarice's offer of a transfer is fake. This is ironic because his objective does not put the victim's safety and rescue first any more than her kidnapped or Dr Lecter do, although it should be the opposite. His motives are far more like those of the criminals in his care than the motives of law enforcement which is very ironic.
