Educational reading
Jia Baoyu is criticized by his father for enjoying books that are not part of the Four Books of classical Chinese education. This is ironic, as Dream of the Red Chamber itself is now considered to be one of the greatest books in Chinese history.
Jia She
Jia She is the oldest son of Lady Dowager, and he is jealous of his younger brother as he is their mother's favorite. Despite this, he then leads a treacherous life, meaning he falls even further out of favor with his mother.
Irony of aristocracy
The author himself was part of the aristocracy, yet in this text, he seems to criticize decadence and the feudal system, of which he was involved. There is a mixed representation of the fall of the Chia family in this novel.
