What is one effect of the irony in this passage?

this ["cub"-engineer] had money, too, and hair oil. . if

ever a youth was cordially admired and hated by his

comrades, this one was. no girl could withstand his

charms. he "cut out" every boy in the village. when his

boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment

among us such as we had not known for months. but

when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and

appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining

hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed

to us that the partiality of providence for an undeserving

reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism

is this the question?