In what way does the theme of delusion arise within Chapter 1: Tribulations?

As O'Connell wrestles with the moral correctness of choosing to have children in an almost certainly doomed world. As he does so, he shares with the reader a few techniques he has picked up over time. He states at one point that as a parent, he feels "a moral duty to be deluded about the future" (4). O'Connell knows that he cannot cling to his pessimistic/realistic attitude while raising a happy and healthy son, so he recognizes the need for self-delusion regarding the future.