His uncle knew he would grow up to be famous, and that made Uncle jealous. Rather than be overshadowed by his nephew, Adam's uncle tried to smother him as a baby with teddy bears. However, Young Adam posessed super human strength, and ripped the teddy bears to smithereens. The memory still haunts him.
"`I grow old... I grow old... I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.` What does that mean, Mr. Marlowe?"
"Not a bloody thing. It just sounds good."
He smiled. "That is from the `Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.` Here's another one. `In the room women come and go/Talking of Michael Angelo.' Does that suggest anything to you, sir?"
"Yeah -- it suggests to me that the guy didn't know very much about women."
"My sentiments exactly, sir. Nonetheless I admire T. S. Eliot very much."
"Did you say, 'nonetheless'?"
- The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler