Balzac and Irony

Throughout the book, there is irony. In the beginning, the author drops the reader into a room with a headmaster sitting in the center, inspecting the main character's violin. The main character and Luo, his best friend, are in this village because they are being "re-educated" but the ironic thing about "re-education" is that they are not actually learning anything. Instead, these kids are working in the hot, boiling sun.