How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #1
The lamentable inferiority of the physique was made ludicrous by the supremely self-confident bearing of the individual. His speech was curt, and he had a particularly impressive manner of keeping silent. (4.6)
The Professor fancies himself as a superior kind of human being, but this self-image is totally contrasted with how much of a little pipsqueak he is. The Professor also loves to stay silent, which is a tactic of mental intimidation that he practices on Ossipon at several points in the book. By having the Professor's body be so scrawny, Conrad highlights the fact that anyone with enough gumption can strap a bomb to himself and feel like a king. But it also shows that the Professor's belief in his own greatness doesn't have any connection to the real world.
Quote #2
Ossipon had a vision of these round black-rimmed spectacles progressing along the streets on the top of an omnibus, their self-confident glitter falling here and there on the walls of houses or lowered upon heads of the unconscious stream of people on the pavements. (4.12)
Ossipon sort of confirms the Professors sense of self-importance. He uses the metonymy of the Professor's glasses to stand for the Professor himself, and imagines these glasses walking around London like a great king. The irony, though, is that it's these types of moments on the London streets that make the Professor super insecure.
Quote #3
"I shall never be arrested. The game isn't good enough for any policeman of them all. To deal with a man like me you require sheer, naked, inglorious heroism." (4.35)
The professor claims that the reason he's so confident and proud is because he knows there's no policeman willing to die just to get rid of him. This would require a level of sacrifice that doesn't exist in the London police force. Like Chief Inspector Heat, the Professor knows that the relationship between criminals and the police is just a game. But he thinks this is a game he'll always win, since he's willing to die and others aren't.