The absent father
Louis is challenged to a more difficult life because his father does something ironic. He abandons his wife and child, knowing his wife is pregnant. This sets into motion a course of actions through which Louis has to be alone. Indeed, a good father is a father who supports and teaches his son, and in this case, there is no father at all, so that Louis has to become mature on his own, with higher stakes, without instruction, and without the protection that a father could offer.
The unborn sibling
Why can't Claire take care of Louis anymore? Ironically, Louis is cast away from his home into his adventure because he has a sibling on the way, and Claire cannot afford to support the three of them, so she sends her beloved son away. The blessing of new life is a difficult challenge for them, and for Louis in particular, who must travel into the unknown. Not only has he lost his father, he now loses access to his mother as well.
The irony of broken families
Louis learns a lesson that helps him and hurts him: when he sees Marcelle and Pelo, he sees that although broken family is painful and tragic, it is not uncommon. His loneliness is alleviated by empathizing with the brokenness of another family, and his misconception is clarified (dramatic irony). This helps, but it also hurts, because through their anger and confusion, he has to admit his own anger and confusion at the brokenness of his own family. Both good and bad are revealed to him.
The rooftop, as opposed to the sanctuary
The idea of a church being used as refuge is very common in stories from this part of the world, but this story twists that motif in a new direction. Louis doesn't find sanctuary in the actual sanctuary; instead, he climbs to the rooftop as if to say that he has a more elevated opinion of fate and God, because he is suffering from the position of his innocent youth. The irony is quite poignant and strikingly dense.
The hero's return
Through his suffering, he learns a lesson that he can use to help his mother. Now, he doesn't have to be protected from her deep emotions, because he already has exposure to them. He is ready to empathize with his mother and he understands the value of innocence, having made the journey to experience so recently. He is ready to participate in the community of his family, but all this is unintentional. The journey made him a hero without his knowledge or consent: this constitutes dramatic irony.
