Of Mice and Men- Saving Face

     Curley is a major character in Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men". He is very influential, more or less the cause of the book's dramatic finale. He is first introduced in the third chapter as an understandably suspicious young man looking for his wife. He seems to like to keep his wife on a tight leash, so to speak, and doesn't want her to wander around the men, which I believe is the sole sensible thing he does in the entire book (I wouldn't want my wife wandering around a bunch of men), but at the same time, he doesn't give her enough freedom and she doesn't know what to do with herself. He is very insecure, as seen when he feels threatened by simple Lennie.
     The book implies he was looking for a reason to attack Lennie simply because of his size, and he does when he sees Lennie smiling about something, which Curley immediately takes as Lennie laughing at him. He then goes to attack him, which ultimately causes Lennie to break his hand. Still bitter about this later in the book, he immediately blames and puts a death sentence on Lennie when he sees his wife dead, without any actual proof that Lennie did this.
     The problem with Curley, I believe, is clearly mental instability. He is violent and easily provoked, and put in a situation where his instability can surface. However, while it is indicated he is largely disliked, no one seems to be truly worried about all the damage he could do to others.