Humor in Proust: One scene from In the Shadow of Young Girls ... and its significance

Marcel Proust's humor can at times be so elusive and subtle as to be nearly invisible - a great example being in the beginning of "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower," as narrator (Marcel) returns from the theater where he had been hugely disappointed to see his idol, La Berma, perform in a way that he thought was totally bland and pedestrian. He joins his father and the retired ambassador M. de Norpois for an extended discussion - de Norpois can go on interminably, even by Proust's standards. Norpois is surprised that Marcel (he's about 14 years old) didn't like Berma, and M asks Norpois to please explain why she's so great - and de Norpois goes off on a long harangue about her incredible taste - in clothing/costumes, in selection of roles, and so on. It's obvious, or ought to be (maybe some miss this point) that de Norpois is a fool, has no ideas of his own about art or beauty (or maybe anything) and just repeats "received ideas." M is quiet and polite, but eventually observes, self-mockingly, of course, why couldn't I see why she was so brilliant to choose the role of Phedre. Not only is it very funny, but it's also a seminal moment in the development of M as a character or actually as the writer and genius from whom he stands - Proust. He is just beginning to understand judgment and criticism and original ideas - in the world of endless gossip and social climbing into which he's born, he begins to understand where his destiny lies and how that will separate him, inevitably, from those to whom he's closest. It's a very unconventional coming-of-age story that goes well beyond the boundaries of young man growing into adulthood - it's one of the greatest and most profound novels ever written - but this is a great example of Proust's subtlety, understatement, and trust in his reader's perspicacity.