Irony of Laughter

During one conversation Kafka responded to Januoch's declaration that the wall of laughter is a "defence against what comes from outside" (Janouch 33). Kafka replies "Is it indeed? Every defence is a retreat, a withdrawal. A blow at the outside world is always a blow at oneself. For that reason every concrete wall is only an illusion, which sooner or later crumbles away. For Inner and Outer belong to each other. Divided, they become two bewildering aspects of a mystery which we endure but can never solve" (33).
Kafka saw humor not only as a defense against the pain and anguish he felt inflicted upon him by the outside world, but also against the pain he rained upon himself. This was a man who chose words carefully and used humor sparingly. But when Kafka used humor, as shown here, he used it to further emphasize the horror of what was going on in his worlds.