Once upon a time, Barnabas used a small, windowless room in the basement as a prison for his unwilling vampire bride, Maggie Evans. Now he, Julia and Willie watch as Adam sleeps in the same room.
Barnabas tells Willie that Adam was afraid of Julia at first, until she taught him how to eat. When Willie asks why, Julia explains hesitantly (and with vast understatement), Adam doesn't seem to deal well with pain. Barnabas puts Willie in charge of teaching Adam to speak, with warnings of dire consequences for both of them if Willie messes up. Really stupid move on Barn's part! Why doesn't Julia dissuade him? They're exactly like 18th-century parents who hand their children over to nursemaids to raise and don't give them another thought. But I guess that's how Barn was brought up himself.
Left alone with Adam, Willie lights up and things go downhill from there. Adam eventually winds up at the terrace and plays with the splashing water as if he really were a little kid. Mrs. J. finds him and screams about a monster. Eventually Barn and Julia find him, sedate him, and chain the poor guy in his underground prison.
There's just no excuse for such crappy parenting.