How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Lost Weekend.
Quote #4
HELEN: He's a sick person. It's as though something were wrong with his heart or lungs. You wouldn't walk out on him if he had an attack.
These days, it's pretty common to think of alcoholism and other addictions as medical conditions rather than moral ones, but that perspective was a lot less accepted back in the 1940's when the film was made. Major props to Helen for this one.
Quote #5
DON: That's when you need it most—in the morning. Haven't you learned that yet? At night, the stuff's a drink. In the morning, it's medicine.
There's a definite contrast between Morning Don and Night Don. When Night Don drinks, he's having a good time. When Morning Don drinks, however, he's simply trying to survive. With this, the negative consequences of Don's alcoholism are finally coming into focus.
Quote #6
[While performers dance in an opera, they transform in Don's mind to dancing trench coats with bottles of whiskey in their front pockets.]
This scene doesn't say anything about Don's condition that we don't already know, but it's such a crazy moment that we had to include it. Though it borders on Looney Tunes -levels of silliness, it also shows how far Don has detached from reality.