The Wrong Comfort: Let Characters Soothe Others With What They Need to Hear Themselves

This technique is dramatic irony rooted in psychological realism. In Toni Morrison's 'Beloved,' Sethe tells Denver to stop living in fear of the outside world, yet Sethe herself remains psychologically imprisoned by trauma. The advice is genuine and loving — and utterly impossible for Sethe to follow herself. Morrison never underlines this contradiction.

In Kazuo Ishiguro's 'The Remains of the Day,' Stevens offers measured wisdom about dignity and purpose, while the reader watches him use that same philosophy to justify decades of emotional suppression. His advice to others becomes a mirror reflecting everything he cannot face.

To practice: write a scene where Character A consoles Character B about a loss or fear. Then, within two chapters, show Character A confronting their own version of the same problem — and choosing the opposite of what they advised. Do not comment on it. Let the two scenes breathe next to each other.

Variations include: a character writing encouragement they never send, a teacher whose lesson plan maps their personal crisis, or a therapist whose professional insights perfectly diagnose their own unexamined life.