Colonel Sands
The character of Colonel Sands in this text represents the irony of status, reputation, and esteem. While Colonel Sands is a respected and celebrated war hero, he is also responsible for some bad decisions in the novel. He becomes paranoid and makes some irreparable mistakes, which shows how his title of a war hero doesn't necessarily mean he is competent.
Skip Sands
Skip is right about some of his Uncle's misunderstandings and mistakes, but when he confronts him about this he is transferred. Here we see the irony of leadership, where useful and constructive ideas are ignored due to bad leadership.
Scapegoat
Although Skip challenged his uncle before his death and tried to suggest better ideas, he is later used as a scapegoat. Even though Skips was a rare critic of his uncle, he is the one blamed for mistakes due to association.
