"Some men have a necessity to be mean, as if they were exercising a faculty which they had to partially neglect since early childhood"

This quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that some men have a need to be mean, as if it is a skill they have been forced to suppress since they were young. This could be due to a range of factors, such as a lack of positive role models in their early life, or a need to show themselves in a world that is often hostile to them. It might also be an outcome of a requirement to feel effective and in control, as a way of making up for feelings of powerlessness and insecurity. Whatever the cause, this quote recommends that some guys have a requirement to reveal their meanness, as if it belongs of their identity that they have been forced to repress.