Mr. Stink’s notorious bad smell is a motif that represents The Harmful Stigma Against Poverty. By giving him the nickname “Mr. Stink,” the story suggests that, in the eyes of others, Mr. Stink is defined by his poverty. Even though some people in the town mean well, they cannot see past his outward condition or get to know him as a regular neighbor. The author narrates, “They sometimes dropped a few coins at his feet, before rushing off with their eyes watering. But no one was really friendly towards him” (10).

The author uses outlandish, dramatic scenarios to demonstrate the lengths people take to ignore or avoid Mr. Stink because his poverty makes them uncomfortable. When Mr. Stink goes into public places, like the Starbucks he visits with Chloe, the other customers notice his characteristic “stink” and avoid him: “‘Abandon Starbucks!’ screamed a member of staff, and his colleagues immediately stopped making coffees or bagging muffins and ran for their lives” (62). This farcical comedy both suggests that stigma against poverty is harmful but also perpetuates a binary between desirable and undesirable smells.