Which words best describe the tone of these lines from William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"? Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have

Which words best describe the tone of these lines from William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"?

Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have believed it.

...

So the next day we all said, "She will kill herself"; and we said it would be the best thing.