Teddy

Teddy is a longtime friend of William Henry Devereaux, Jr., known to him for twenty years. At a boisterous gathering, Teddy celebrates William Henry Devereaux, Jr.’s conspicuously unprofessional conduct with a mixture of fear and admiration. He is fascinated by childish behavior even as he admits, indirectly through his reaction, that he has not behaved outrageously himself for a long time. His response makes the spectacle a source of both pleasure and envy: he is glad his friend took the risk, and relieved not to have taken it himself.

Temperament and Public Conduct

Teddy’s delight in William Henry Devereaux, Jr.’s conduct unsettles the academic decorum around them. He and June join the gathering after William Henry Devereaux, Jr. had phoned them to watch the news; Teddy greets him with a slap on the back and enthusiastic approval. June, too, acknowledges the spectacle, but Teddy’s response particularly exposes his attraction to rule-breaking as something he admires from a safer distance. His mix of apprehension and admiration gives his praise a self-conscious edge: he recognizes the appeal of outrageousness while remaining outside it.

Marriage and Attraction

Teddy attends with June, his wife, but his attention is also fixed on Lily, William Henry Devereaux, Jr.’s wife. Tony cheerfully makes Teddy’s crush explicit, adding that Teddy wishes Lily were present. Teddy’s face reddens immediately. Missy’s ensuing confusion about which woman is whose wife turns the disclosure into public embarrassment, while also making plain that Teddy’s attachment to Lily is known among the group. The moment interrupts his role as enthusiastic celebrant with an intimate vulnerability he cannot easily disguise.

Friendship and Storytelling

The gathering also shows how Teddy reshapes shared experience into performance. He recounts how he and William Henry Devereaux, Jr. were forced off the road by Paul Rourke’s Camaro and nearly fought on the roadside. In the twenty-four hours since, Teddy’s melodramatic version has hardened, in his own mind, into the truth; he wants William Henry Devereaux, Jr. to confirm it. Instead, his friend briefly pretends not to remember, then concedes, leaving Teddy wounded. The teasing draws on their long familiarity, but the joke has a small cost: Teddy loses his margarita when June switches glasses with him, and her thin smile prompts William Henry Devereaux, Jr. to feel regret. Teddy’s stories and reactions make him both the group’s eager performer and a figure whose bravado can be punctured by embarrassment.