The irony of wealth
Commonly, people think that wealthy people are happy because they have money. However, Trust subverts readers' expectations by showing that wealthy people are not, in fact, always happy.
The irony of Andrew Bevel's success
Readers know that Andrew Bevel's wife is the reason for his success; however, the characters in the novel (aside from Andrew) think that Andrew was the sole reason for his success.
The irony of the Stock Market Crash of 1929
Normally, when the stock market crashes, people lose a lot of money. Andrew Bevel (and the Rasks), however, are able to increase their wealth tremendously. This illuminates just how much of a game the stock market is and how rigged the entire stock market system is.
The irony of Ida finding Mildred's diary
Even though Andrew Bevel's house had been a museum for many years prior (and his mansion was retrofitted and heavily cleaned along the way), Ida finds Mildred's diary. This is unexpected and ironic because after such a long time and after people combed over Andrew's house, where they would have likely found the diary beforehand.
The irony of Helen's convulsion therapy
Helen undergoes convulsion therapy to help her mentally and physically get better; however, the therapy ends up killing her.
