Wry humor is much easier to do in print than on film.
What makes the un-relievedly bleak story of the family's grinding poverty, their emotional desperation and their moral turpitude bearable in print is McCourt's ability to wring sardonic laughter from the miserable facts. These little jogs, that work well in print, have a totally different impact in the film. After a catalogue of the childish shenanigans in which they engage, McCourt reports with pride how his father told him that their charge was lucky to have such wonderful older brothers. On film, the depiction of the older boy's relationship with their younger brother is shown in images, as is Frank's discovery of his death. Voice-over narration reads the story of the boy's pride at the compliment from their father, and the final line.