Characters
What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes.
— Charlie · Rain Man
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker asks to be understood: until four days ago he was a brother only nominally, and now they have shared pancakes at breakfast. The contrast between a purely formal bond and an ordinary domestic morning suggests a relationship that has changed remarkably fast.
Context reviewed