Marlowe first sees Terry Lennox in a car outside a club. Terry is so drunk that he can't stay in the car seat. When he falls out, his girlfriend drives off and leaves him there. Marlowe helps him up, takes him home and sobers him up sufficiently to find out Terry's address before ensuring that he gets home safely. When Terry is again drunk on the street and seems on the verge of being arrested, Marlowe saves him from that fate.
With only these two instances as background, the two men spend a few more evenings together in bars and Marlowe seems to be constantly seeking justice for Terry after that. When Terry comes to Marlowe after Sylvia's death, Marlowe says that he's certain that Terry couldn't have killed Sylvia simply because.....
