  Finally, it is worth noting the role contradiction plays as a lively source of ironic humor, especially for the highbrow reader. In one  New Yorker cartoon  (Benjamin Schwartz, March 30, 2015), a veterinarian comes into the waiting room, places a comforting arm on the worried man’s shoulder, and breaks the news: “About your cat, Mr. Schrödinger—I have good news and bad news.” (See §4 above for more on the poor cat’s indeterminate prognosis.) In  another (J. B. Handelsman, March 9, 1987), a mutton-chopped publisher, seated at his Victorian office desk and riffling through an immense manuscript, explains to the dejected bearded author, “I wish you would make up your mind, Mr. Dickens. Was it the best of times or was it the worst of times? It could scarcely have both.” . 