the confrontation between eddie 's friends and eddie 's ma had not occurred in the waiting room , as in eddie 's dream ; she had known they would be coming-eddie 's `` friends , '' who were probably teaching him to smoke cigarettes in spite of his asthma , his `` friends '' who had such an unhealthy hold over him that they were all he talked about when he came home for the evening , his `` friends '' who got his arm broken .