Meaning and Expression. In his madness, Tom imagines he is the mythical Adonis, killed when he abandoned his lover, Venus, to hunt a wild boar. His reference to “shadows” encompasses both the illusions of wealth and happiness he foolishly pursued and the name of his satanic nemesis, Nick Shadow. His reference to “true love” evokes both the ideal he disdained and the name of Ann Truelove. The music remains trapped in a labyrinth, confined harmonically to G minor, creating a series of antecedents with no consequent.