How does Mark Twain use humor to present serious ideas? What does this reveal about Twain as a person? Humor was a tool that Twain could use. This humor strengthened what he saw as a major problem. Mark Twain used his humor to empathize his point of an issue. Doing this made all of the serious situations not as serious as they really are. Knowing this about Mark Twain you can tell he is a empathetic, humors, and serious type of person.