The reader becomes aware of Curley's history of having once made the finals in the Golden Gloves competition in Chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men.
In this chapter, while the men relax in the bunkhouse in the evening, Whit plays a few hands of euchre with George. As they look at their cards, the two men converse, and Whit asks George if he has seen "the new kid," meaning Curley's new wife. When George says that he has seen her, Whit asks, "Well, ain't she a looloo?" Although George avoids giving any real opinion, Whit continues gossiping as he describes how the new wife is always around and Curley, who has pants "just crawlin' with ants," is always looking for her.
As confirmation of the truth of Whit's remarks, Curley bursts into the bunkhouse and asks if anyone has seen his wife. When he notices that Slim is absent, he demands to know where this man is, and someone tells Curley that Slim is in the barn. As Curley rushes out, Whit says that he may just go watch what happens as he anticipates a good fight:
"Curley's just spoilin' or he wouldn't start for Slim. An' Curley's handy...Got in the finals for the Golden Gloves. He got newspaper clippings about it."
The pugnacious quality of Curley and the flirtatious nature of his wife foreshadow future conflict. Certainly, George becomes worried about such conflict as he has commented earlier when first learning about her, "She's gonna make a mess."
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