The Young Sherlock Holmes is an eight-book series that constitutes the legendary detective’s origin story. Consequently, many of the events in Death Cloud are geared toward developing Sherlock’s understanding of himself and the world. In this respect, Amyus Crowe is instrumental in shaping the sleuth’s mind. Initially, Sherlock displays keen powers of observation, which seems to be a family trait that he shares with Mycroft. However, he doesn’t know what to do with the information he collects. Crowe offers pivotal advice in this respect:

Information is the foundation of all rational thought. Seek it out. Collect it assiduously. Stock the lumber room of your mind with as many facts as you can fit in there. Don’t attempt to distinguish between important facts and trivial facts: they’re all potentially important (53).

The adult Homes will frequently admonish Watson about his tendency to see without understanding the meaning of what he observes. As the young detective finds himself beset with one difficulty after another, he comes to the obvious conclusion that his greatest weapon is his mind. As a teenager, he is automatically dismissed from the adult world. He is equally disadvantaged in physical fights against men who are trained killers or massively outweigh him.