Evan Parker's Death
When Evan Parker dies, Jacob thinks that he is safe to plagiarize and write a book based on his idea, thinking that Evan originated the idea. Jacob, however, was not safe. And Jacob did not, in fact, originate the idea for the successful book that Jacob went on to write.
Jacob's MFA Program
Jacob enjoyed modest success with the release of his first novel. However, despite this success, he was not able to get employed at a first-rate MFA program. Instead, he got a job at a "third-rate" MFA program. This irony contributes to Jacob's willingness to act reprehensively and steal his dead student's idea for a novel.
Jacob's fame
Readers know that Jacob's fame and wealth is built on a morally dubious foundation, but the other characters in the novel don't know that. In fact, they think that Jacob came up with the idea for the story on his own. This leads to an internal conflict within Jacob, as well as external conflicts involving Jacob and his publisher and Jacob and the people emailing him.
Jacob's students writings
The students who endeavored to craft a story of literary merit were the "worst written" of any of the stories Jacob read (even amongst the nonsensical, poorly written dreck that some of his other students churned out). Oftentimes, in other words, the students who took themselves and their work too seriously were some of the worst writers in Jacob's class.
Jacob's office
Jacob was assigned his best office as his literary fame dwindled; he was assigned his worst office (near a dumpster) when he was at the height of his literary fame. Typically, colleges with an all-star writer on staff would want to placate the writer and give them special privileges. Jacob's college, however, was different.
