This episode provides examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Tad and Tricia affirm they do whatever adults say and believe whatever adults tell them, Daria asks what if two adults said opposite things. See Corrupt the Cutie for their reactions.
- Bad Liar: Quinn tries to coerce a guy named Lonnie into babysitting for her, but is unable to properly convince him that they'll go out afterwards because she calls him "sincere" and "nice."
- Badly Battered Babysitter: In Daria's flashbacks, we see how a young Daria and Quinn were with three different babysitters. The first one (a middle aged woman) breaks down in tears due to baby Quinn crying and toddler Daria demanding that they punish the baby, the second one (a very old woman) has a heart attack after weakly trying to stop Daria and Quinn fighting, and the third (a teenage girl) is humiliated by Daria while Quinn hits on her boyfriend about how she'll "be allowed to date in four years."
- Bratty Half-Pint: Daria's flashbacks show that she and Quinn were...not great with babysitters. The Gupty kids avert it since they're still pretty good kids despite being very sheltered to the point of naivete (at least until Daria and Jane step in).
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Mr. DeMartino praises Daria's term paper as excellent, stating her use of original research was thought provoking, and then adds some states may consider it a felony.
- Corrupt the Cutie: Daria questions the fallacy of the kid's indoctrination. The boy runs away crying and the girl pulls her hair and calls her mean. She and Jane then read them twisted versions of fairy tales and give them world advice.
- Daria and Jane succeed with some TV. When they warn the kids to not tell their parents about this, they reply "Do you think we're stupid?". Mission accomplished. Though in a subversion, it's more that Daria and Jane are trying to break the kids out of their brainwashing and are teaching them to think for themselves.
- Crapsaccharine World: The Guptys' house. The parents pretty much brainwash their children into being good kids who never question adults, also alienating them from the outside world.
- Curse Cut Short: Daria and Jane teach the kids new lyrics to their self-esteem song. Their parents catch them singing it later:"I am cool and that is it, and everyone else is full of -""Tad! Tricia!"
- Everyone Has Standards: Daria threatens to make Quinn pay extra depending on how much time she has to spend dealing with the Gupty parents. Quinn, who knows what these people are like, feels that's perfectly understandable.
- Fractured Fairy Tale: Daria and Jane tell these sorts to the kids.
- Hitler Ate Sugar: The trope naming episode itself. Daria's charges remind her that too much sugar is bad for you, ending with the reasoning that "Hitler ate sugar."
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Quinn saw her new planner as a way to be popular and organized since she can now sort her pending dates, and rate the guys based on the restaurant and the tips for the waiter. The guy she was dating gets upset when she starts to schedule their next date right in front of him, and places it after she goes out with other guys on the agenda, one of them his best friend.
- Lesser of Two Evils: Daria only agrees to take Quinn's babysitting job because it's not as bad as going to her mother's workshop.
- Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: At first, Daria assumes Tad and Tricia are just pretending to be nice, "perfect" kids in front of their parents. When they are gone, she soon realizes that they are actually that naive and innocent.
- Shout-Out:
- The self-esteem record references The Tortoise and the Hare.
- Jane greets Daria's new hairdo (courtesy of Tricia) with "All hail Pippi Longstocking."
- Skewed Priorities: When Helen and Quinn go to the Time Management consultant, she asks them to make a list in order of their most important goals. Helen puts "Work" above "Reviving the relationship flame" (which she quickly undoes when Quinn reacts to this). Then Quinn puts "Dating" above "School" and Helen tries to correct her, but the consultant tells her to be honest to herself. Helen then rearranges her list with "Relationship mending" first.
