Frightened Interrogator (Situational Irony)
When the police angrily interrogate Raphael, he refuses to tell the truth about the wallet he found. They escalate the pressure on him with physical violence, hitting the terrified boy off his chair and hanging him by his feet out the window. At one point, the interrogator asks Raphael to put his hands behind his back. Raphael obliges, expecting to be hit, but the man sighs; Raphael can see he is sleep-deprived and frightened. In this instance of situational irony, Mulligan undermines Raphael's and the reader's expectations by having Raphael detect his tormentor's vulnerability and fear.
José Angelico Died During Interrogation (Situational Irony)
After the police release Raphael to run back to Behala in the middle of the night, Raphael reveals to the reader that he learned earlier in the day that José Angelico died in a police station while being interrogated. In this instance of situational irony, the reader learns that Raphael has undergone nearly the same treatment as José. Even as the police threatened to drop Raphael on his head out the window, Raphael refused to give the corrupt cops the information they wanted. In refusing to give up what he knew, Raphael bravely risked his own life in what might have been the same interrogation room where José died.
Olivia Meets Mr. Oliva (Situational Irony)
When Gardo fools Olivia Weston into bringing him to the prison to meet with Gabriel Olondriz, Gardo and Olivia are made to wait for an hour. Eventually, a social welfare officer named Mr. Oliva comes out and greets them. The coincidence of their names being similar seems to "break the ice instantly" and he assures Olivia he will do what he can to help. In this instance of situational irony, the man Olivia needs to get past happens to have nearly the same name, thereby helping her and Gardo's chances of meeting Gabriel.
The Gardener's Solidarity (Situational Irony)
While Gardo and Olivia are visiting Colva Prison, Rat and Raphael take a bus to Senator Zapanta's house and climb a tree to get into the grounds. Once they are on his lawn, the boys are questioned by someone who has caught them. However, the man—an elderly gardener—befriends the boys, inviting them to smoke a cigarette with him. He then shares the story of how José Angelico smuggled six million dollars out of the vault in the basement, all the while delighting in his employer's humiliation. In this instance of situational irony, a man who works for the vice-president doesn't mind when the boys have broken into the property. Instead, he has an implicit sense of solidarity with the shoeless boys, knowing their poverty means their interests are united against the corrupt politician who owns the property.
