How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Lost Weekend.
Quote #1
DON: Don't wipe it away, Nat. Let me have my little vicious circle. You know, the circle is the perfect geometric figure. No end; no beginning.
Circles pop up frequently in The Lost Weekend, which we see as a neat little metaphor for the cycle of addiction. Don's boozy benders could certainly be described as "little vicious circles" and, what's more, they frequently feel like they have no end and no beginning.
Quote #2
DON: I may never touch it while I'm there, not a drop. What you don't understand is that I've got to know it's around. That I can have it if I need it.
If Don doesn't have a bottle of booze around, he feels such intense anxiety that he can hardly think straight (though to be fair, he can hardly think straight when the booze is around, either). This is a very common mindset for an addict, however.
Quote #3
DON: It shrinks my liver. It pickles my kidneys, yes. But what does it do to my mind? It tosses the sandbags overboard so the balloon can soar.
Although Don's alcoholism is clearly ruining his life, we can't deny that the dude becomes more eloquent after a few shots. He even quotes Shakespeare. If he has one too many, however, that witty charmer quickly transforms into a regular old sloppy drunk.