Voltage addition?
If 1 (1.5 V) battery
of a 3 battery flashlight
is wrong (=the opposite (polarity))
(then) the total voltage is zero, not 1.5 V
so the lamp (filament)
will NOT go on (=won't light)
when the switch is closed (=turned on).
Kirchhoff's voltage law
adds voltage( drop)s
on loads,
but seems to collapse
when dealing with (battery) sources
of mixed polarity.
(=I find that (unexpectedly) rather (stunning