The most elemental reason that Curley picks the fight with Lennie is to prove he can. When he sees Lennie smiling at the thought of the farm and the rabbits that George has discussed, Curley sees it as Lennie laughing at him. This causes Curley to fly into a rage and take on Lennie.Click to see full answer. Likewise, why did Curley fight with Lennie in Chapter 3?The fight between Lennie and Curley is intentionally restricted to a small area because two actors could not be moving all over a stage cluttered with bunk beds and crowded with men watching the fight. Therefore, Steinbeck has Lennie grab Curley’s hand and crush it while both men remain in approximately the same spot.One may also ask, what explanation does George give for why Lennie crushed Curley’s hand? On the surface, Lennie crushes Curley’s hand because George tells him to fight back. So, he does this out of fear, obedience to George, and in self-defense. Just so, why does Curley believe there is an advantage in picking on bigger guys? Because if he won, he looked very strong but if he lost, everybody would pick on the big guy who beat him and say pick on somebody your own size.What is Lennie’s fear?Terms in this set (10) Lennie had killed his puppy. What has Lennie done as the section opens? Lennie’s fear is that if George sees that, he killed the puppy, then he won’t let him tend the rabbits. Curley’s wife probably feels as if just like the puppy, the men on the ranch, and possibly herself, are disposable.