Unwittingly, Grace Wexler has just made a joke that she is unaware of. What she doesn't know and what her partner in the game does know, is that her husband actually likes to go to the bookies and gambles. Thus, when she innocently says that Turtle may be helping her father with his bookkeeping, she is unknowingly making a joke that is understood and appreciated by Mr. Hoo. Of course, the idea of her husband corrupting little Turtle and leading her astray through his penchant for gambling makes her ignorance even more hilarious. This is of course one of many such jokes that echo through the pages of this novel as we come to know a set of characters better than they know themselves and each other.