We Can Have a Dog, Not a Kid
In 1894, Barrie moved to London, where he met and married a woman named Mary Ansell. He gave his wife a St. Bernard dog as a wedding present. The couple never had children together, and evidence suggests that Barrie never consummated their marriage. He did, however, speak about his toxic six-year marriage with Ansell in his story “Tommy and Grizel” (1990).
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Barrie wrote, “Grizel, I seem to be different from all other men; there seems to be some curse upon me… You are the only woman I ever wanted to love, but apparently, I can’t.” Barrie and Ansell’s relationship didn’t last, which doesn’t really come as a surprise. They were divorced by 1909.