Proust uses humor to develop character : Swann's Way

Continuing think about humor in Proust as I read along in the Davis translation of "Swann's Way," noticing a very wry passage in which he discusses St. Hilaire church in Combray, particularly the tower or spire, and how it is visible in different ways from different locations in the town or countryside, each vision of the spire creating its own view and mood, a particularly beautiful passage in which his mother points out to him that the spire is the only human-made element visible from a certain vantage in the countryside, the far point at their longest walk from Combray, and it is all the more beautiful and mysterious for that, Proust then describing how the tower helps him orient himself and then notes that sometimes in Paris if he asks for directions and is told to proceed toward some tower or spire or dome, a landmark, he may just stand in place staring at the tower for hours, going nowhere on the street but taking a long journey "in my heart" - very true, very believable, very funny and a self-effacing way. Proust always uses humor toward the development and delineation of character - another great moment when his lifelong friend Bloch, an aesthete, is introduced, Bloch unable to tell Proust's father whether it is raining because he takes no note of material and physical things; Proust's father later notes "your friend is an idiot," he can't even report on the weather: "Nothing is more interesting!" This perfectly captures, in a passage, Bloch's foolish and comical pretentions and the father's eccentricity and bluntness and stupid self-assurance.