Irony and Pitty

Bill Gordon is a very interesting and fun character. He is a writer so he says things that are entertaining and sometimes confusing. I am still trying to figure out what he meant by "show irony and pity" (pg 118). Then he starts to sing the song and says "when they're feeling...oh, give them irony and give them pity" (pg118). I think he means when someone is feeling sorrow or maybe even anger, one is supposed to say something that they don't even mean but will make them feel better and show pity on them. It is like a false act and pretty much lying to the person if you don't really mean what you say or show. This may be foreshadowing the fact that Bill may use this later in the novel with the situation of Jake and Brett. He will try to comfort Jake when Brett is married to Michael, but actually, I don't think he really cares.