Rose Says Mr. Kidd Had No Sister (Dramatic Irony)
Worried the rooming house's pipes may burst with the cold weather, the landlord, Mr. Kidd, drops by Rose and Bert's room to investigate. Instead of checking the pipes, Kidd sits down and launches into a reverie about how his sister used to take care of managing their rooming house when she was alive. Kidd speaks fondly and nostalgically about his deceased sister; however, as soon as he exits the stage, Rose says aloud to herself that she doesn’t believe Mr. Kidd ever had a sister. In this instance of dramatic irony, Rose and the audience understand Kidd is suffering from memory issues or a mental illness and he has invented the sister he deeply misses.
Room Seven is Vacant (Situational Irony)
After a lengthy conversation about nothing in particular, the Sands tell Rose they are there to speak with her landlord about a room available for rent in the house. Rose believes the house has no vacant rooms, as Mr. Kidd earlier said the house is "full up." However, Mr. Sands tells Rose that a man in the basement told them number seven was vacant. Rose's attitude shifts as she says that number seven is her room, and it’s occupied. In this instance of situational irony, Rose learns that the couple she has been politely entertaining may pose a threat to her housing security, as they have introduced the discomforting possibility that her landlord intends to kick her and Bert out and rent the room to new tenants.
Riley Knows Rose (Situational Irony)
While most of the play focuses on the mundane interactions Rose has with her partner, her landlord, and the Sands, the mood changes when Riley, a blind Black man who has been waiting in the basement to speak with Rose, enters the stage. Although Rose insists she doesn't know Riley, Riley addresses her as "Sal," a name Rose seems to recognize but is uncomfortable being identified by. Riley adds to Rose's unease by telling her he has brought the message from her father that it is time to come home. In this instance of situational irony, Rose's expectations are undermined when the blind stranger somehow knows far more than she could have imagined about her and the identity she abandoned.
Bert's Violent Eruption (Situational Irony)
In the opening scene, Rose's partner, Bert, sits silently eating food while Rose launches into a one-sided conversation with him. Mr. Kidd stops by and Rose answers for Bert while he maintains his silence. With this introduction, Pinter presents Bert as silent, meek, and alienated. However, in an instance of situational irony that subverts the audience's expectations, Bert's reappearance at the end of the play inverts this image, showing him as almost a completely different person. Formerly mute, he is talkative and excited about how he drove expertly on icy roads. And while Bert at first appears to ignore the intimate moment he catches Rose and Riley engaging in, Bert suddenly turns violent, physically attacking Riley and potentially killing him.
