Curley

Next up is Curley. Curley is the Boss's son and so represents those who are set to inherit a lot of money and/or property. As a result, Curley is rather big-headed. Curley also represents the people who have immunity, as he cannot lose a fight. If Curley gets into a fight and wins, everybody calls him a hero as he is a rather small person. However, if he loses, he can get his dad, the Boss, to sack the person responsible. This would be a double-whammy for the person who gets in trouble, as they would not only get sacked and have a poor reputation, hindering their chances of getting further employment, but the novel is set during the great depression, so there would be no other jobs that they would be able to find. Curley is therefore the arrogant and aggressive worker on the ranch, and is unpopular as a result. This all stems from his soon-to-be-inherited wealth.