The Maltese Falcon Men and Masculinity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #13

The boy lay on his back on the sofa, a small figure that was—except for its breathing—altogether corpselike to the eye. Joel Cairo sat beside the boy, bending over him, rubbing his cheeks and wrists, smoothing his hair back from his forehead, whispering to him, and peering anxiously down at his white still face. (19.1)

The narrator hints here that Wilmer and Cairo are lovers. We can tell from Cairo's anxious whispering and petting that he cares about Wilmer. What kind of information can we glean here from the nature of their relationship?