It would not be accurate to say that there is anything particularly funny about "The Censors" by Luisa Valenzuela, as the story is a satirical and dark commentary on government censorship and its impact on individuals. The use of exaggeration and understatement serve to highlight the absurdity of the situation, as the main character Juan's desire to censor his own letters leads to a dangerous and ultimately tragic outcome.
If the story had been written in a serious, realistic way, it would have lost much of its impact as a satire. By exaggerating the absurdity of government censorship, Valenzuela is able to comment on the dangerous power dynamics that can arise when individual freedoms are threatened. The central irony of the story, which is that Juan's desire to censor his own letters ultimately leads to his own demise, would also have been less impactful if the story had been presented in a serious way.