Identity of the Narrator
The narrator believes that he is expertly hiding his identity and tells the reader that he/she doubts that they will be able to guess which of the children is really writing the story. In fact, he is so convinced of this that he promises to reveal who it is at the end. This is extremely ironic since the narrator's elevated praise of "Oswald's" qualities, such as his fairness, his advanced powers of reasoning for his age, and his general generosity when dealing with his siblings makes it very obvious that Oswald is the editor, and this becomes apparent even during the first chapter.
Forgetful Maids
Oswald tells the reader that they have had some very forgetful maids in their service because they continually use things and forget where they put them. Items that have been misplaced in this manner include silver thimbles and some of the family's silverware. The irony here is that even though they are by nature suspicious and circumspect children, they do not realize that the maids are not forgetful at all, but rather that they are stealing the "good stuff" from the Bastables' home.It is notable that the maid only seems to forget where she has put the lost items that are made of silver.
When They Stop Seeking Treasure, It Finds Them
The main objective of the Bastable children throughout the novel is to seek, and find, treasure, so that the fallen fortunes of the House of Bastable can be restored, if not to their former glory, then to something like it. When none of their schemes seem to work, they give up and run out of ideas, which is ironic, because this is exactly when their Indian Uncle turns up, and shares his riches with them. In this way as soon as they give up seeking treasure, the treasure they seek finds them instead.
Poor Indian
The children are told that their Indian Uncle is coming for dinner and because such effort is being made to entertain him they come to the conclusion that he must be very poor indeed and in dire need of their help. Further investigation into the general standard of living in India convince them that everyone in that country is poor. This is ironic because the Indian is anything but poor and is in fact the savior of the House of Bastable, sharing with them riches that they have not even been able to imagine.
The Rich People Next Door
Oswald tells the reader that their neighbor is very well-off and this makes the Bastables feel even more down on their luck than they did before. The irony here is that the neighboring family are also struggling, just like the Bastables, but they are proud and do not want to admit it, pretending to leave for their vacation home as usual, when in fact they have not gone anywhere and are sneaking back into their own home at night so nobody sees them.
