Characters · 1946
My, my, my. Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains!
— Philip Marlowe • The Big Sleep
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Marlowe measures the town by two quantities that do not balance: weapons are plentiful while judgment is scarce. The contrast makes the abundance of guns more troubling than it would be alone. The opening repetition gives the observation a pointed emphasis before that disparity is stated.
Context reviewed