Punishment Button as Badge of Honor (Situational Irony)
In the seventh chapter, Zinkoff is overcome with a fit of laughter whenever a humorous-sounding made-up word pops into his head. To discipline him, Miss Meeks makes Zinkoff wear a yellow button pinned to his shirt. The button says, "I know I can behave." Over a few days, however, Miss Meeks realizes that Zinkoff likes to wear the button, which he views not as a punishment but as a "badge of honor." In this instance of situational irony, Zinkoff's lack of shame and limited self-awareness inverts the attempted punishment into a reward for his disruptive behavior. To punish him, Miss Meeks has to hide the button away.
Atrocious as a Compliment (Situational Irony)
When Mrs. Biswell, the disgruntled second-grade teacher, discovers that Zinkoff has difficulty writing clearly, she openly insults his handwriting, calling it "atrocious." In an instance of situational irony, Zinkoff is not offended by the remark. Rather, his lack of shame and unfamiliarity with the word "atrocious" leads him to interpret her comment as a compliment. In response, Zinkoff proudly thanks his teacher.
The Police Were Searching for Zinkoff (Situational Irony)
On the night Claudia goes missing, Zinkoff spends ages searching the unlit alleys behind her street, thinking he will find her hiding in the snow. All the while he sees the lights of police and emergency vehicles rotating on her block, which leads him to assume she is still missing. It is not until the next day, once he is safe at home, that Zinkoff learns Claudia had been found soon after her disappearance was reported. Zinkoff is confused, and he asks his parents who the police were looking for. In an instance of situational irony, Zinkoff learns from his mother that the police were looking for him.
Boys Discuss the Kid in the Yellow Hat (Dramatic Irony)
While the majority of Loser is narrated from a perspective close to Zinkoff's point of view, in the final chapter Spinelli shifts to the perspectives of some popular, more athletic boys. They make fun of Zinkoff, whom they refer to as "the kid in the yellow hat," not bothering with his name. In this instance of dramatic irony, Zinkoff is oblivious to cruel things they say and to how the boys purposefully throw the football too hard for him to catch.
