The teachings of the Ivory's are very simplistic in nature. They live and die only by the code of the family, never to betray each other and very rarely letting in any outsiders to even their most meaningless quips and conversations.
Perhaps the darkest inner workings of the Ivory's is when a family member does anything to betray the trust and secrets of the family they are murdered and eaten by the other living members. This has been rumored to have happened more then once. It is also believed that they are an incestuous family and also consume the deceased members when they pass.