How does Wilde create humour at the expense of his characters Gwendolyn and Cecily?

How does Wilde create humour at the expense of his characters Gwendolyn and Cecily? 

The importance of being Ernest is a play written by Oscar Wilde in the Victorian era.Wilde uses humour between Cecily and Gwendolen by using various devices, linguistic and language features. He often reverses writes the opposite of what society really thinks in his play.

The scene where Gwendolen and Cecily sit down to eat is humour in itself. We as the audience know that Ernest is Jack and Algernon, but they both believe they are talking about the same man. At the beginning of the scene Gwendolen announces that 'I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong'. This shows that she is self centered and believes everything she says is right however later on in the scene after she finds out that they are both engaged to Ernest says ' From the moment I saw you I distrusted you, I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right' which is the exact opposite of what she had said to begin with.

 Another bit of humour in this scene is when Gwendolen talks about her father.'And certainly once a man neglects his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate, does he not? This suggests that a man loses his masculinity the moment he leaves the household. This brings humour because the audience know's this is wrong.It is an inversion because people would think that by staying at home you would become 'effeminate' not by 'neglecting his domestic duties'. This could refer to Oscar Wilde's sexuality because he neglected his wife and kids which in this case make him effeminate or 'camp' which can be him subtly hinting to the audience that he was gay.

The fact that Jack plays Ernest in town and Jack in country is quite funny because Algernon who also has an alter ego Bunbury becomes Ernest in the country. When Gwendolen and Cecily meet they both believe they are talking about the same man. The audience finds this funny and it creates alot of drama and humour