In an example of situational irony, Mr. Brooke runs for office on a progressive platform (that includes tenants’ rights) even though he is an exploitative landlord. Mr. Dagley—one of Mr. Brooke’s tenants—communicates the irony of this in a conversation with Mr. Brooke:
“There's to be a Rinform, and them landlords as never done the right thing by their tenants 'ull be treated i' that way as they'll hev to scuttle off. An' there's them i' Middlemarch knows what the Rinform is—an' as knows who'll hev to scuttle. Says they, 'I know who your landlord is.' An' says I, 'I hope you're the better for knowin' him, I arn't.' Says they, 'He's a close-fisted un.' 'Ay ay,' says I. 'He's a man for the Rinform,' says they. That's what they says. An' I made out what the Rinform were—an' it were to send you an' your likes a-scuttlin'.”
Using a lower-class dialect, Mr. Dagley explains how he sees Mr. Brooke as a hypocrite since he is known for supporting “Rinform” (or the Reform movement) while not doing “the right thing” by his tenants. This is the irony that underlies Mr. Brooke’s character—he is not a particularly intelligent man, and struggles to understand why Mr. Dagley takes issue with his hypocrisy, while also feeling confident enough to run for public office.
