How would one explain the situational irony in "Richard Cory?"

In situational
, an event occurs that directly contradicts expectations.

This contradiction
lies in the perspective of the townspeople with regard to . In descriptions of Richard Cory, it
becomes clear that the residents of the town perceive him as greatly elevated from them in
social and economic class. First of all, he does not live where they do. The narrators are
"on the pavement"; that is, they dwell in the heart of the city. Their main
occupations are centered in the city where the jobs used to be for the men. There, too, women
care for their families at home, or they work as servants for the wealthy like Mr. Cory. But,
during the Depression of 1893, the setting of this poem, many people are out of work. This is
why they "went without the meat, and cursed the bread," their main form of
subsistence.

As one of the upper class, Richard Cory does not suffer as do
the citizens of the town. He is "richer than a king" and "imperially slim,"
not starved as they are. Therefore, because of their dire poverty during the Depression, the
citizens feel completely estranged from Richard Cory, perceiving him only as a typical member of
the wealthy class, except for the fact that he speaks to people. Nevertheless, they misinterpret
his "good morning" as simply an example of how he is "schooled in every
grace" rather than his genuine desire to communicate with others because of his wealthy
isolation.

The (situational) irony, of course, is that the common people
misinterpret Richard Cory's demeanor and speech. Convinced that Cory is happy because he suffers
no financial want and he is handsome, so much so that he "flutter[s] pulses" when he
speaks and "glitters" as he walks, they are shocked when, "one calm summer
night" Richard Cory commits suicide. This act of despair does not fit with their
perceptions and expectations of such a wealthy gentleman, at all.