  Spectroscopy of high-redshift compact steep-spectrum (CSS) quasars shows a
high incidence of Ly-alpha absorption close to the quasar redshift. Associated
absorption systems like these are rare in other types of radio sources, with
the notable exception of high-redshift radio galaxies (HZRGs). CSS quasars and
HZRGs share many properties; the hypothesis that they are intrinsically similar
objects is presented and discussed.
