* CommonKnowledge: It's often mistakenly assumed that the story of the boy plugging a leak in the dike with his finger is an actual event in the book, and that the boy is Hans himself. It's actually a StoryWithinAStory, and the boy is [[NoNameGiven only called]] "the boy" or "the Hero of Haarlem."
* FridgeLogic: How could the breach in the dike be big enough to threaten the town, yet small enough that the boy could plug it with his finger?
** Child logic. This is why it isn't enough to teach children that X, Y and Z are dangerous; they need to be taught A, B or C to deal with it. A real-life comparison is firefighters. Children who have no experience with firefighters wearing their full gear often hide from them in fear and end up delaying their rescue.
* MemeticMutation: The tale about the boy with his finger in the dike, which is only a small StoryWithinAStory, to the point where it's actually more famous than the book it originated from.
* WatchItForTheMeme: Given how much the [[StoryWithinAStory story of the boy who stuck his finger in the ditch]] is mentioned on this very page: It should go without saying that many only really know about this book as a result of wanting to know the origin of that story.

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