In a 1941 letter to his son Michael, Tolkien recalled: I had to choose between disobeying and grieving (or deceiving) a guardian who had been a father to me, more than most fathers ... and "dropping" the love-affair until I was 21.
Nunha carta de 1941 para o seu fillo Michael, Tolkien escribiu: Tiña que escoller entre desobedecer e enfadar (ou decepcionar) o gardián que fora coma un pai para min, máis que moitos pais e "deixar" a relación ata que eu tivese 21.