In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, Curley displays a destructive behavior towards others on the ranch as a result of his insecurities, superior mentality, and his lack of size. Curley's insecurities cause him to suspect everyone of everything, making him extremely violent. His superior mind-set causes him to believe that he is better than everyone else; he does not hesitate to pick a fight with anyone. Curley's lack of size somehow gives him a reason to pick on larger men.

Curley's lack of size causes him to pick on bigger guys. He particularly enjoys entering into altercations with larger men because he believes it will always result in a win-win situation. Candy explains this idea when he says," S'pose Curley jumps a big guy and licks him. Ever'body says what a game guy Curley is. And s'pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then...