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

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s observation about the necessity some men feel to be mean invites a reflection on human nature, upbringing, and the complexities of masculinity. Meanness here is not just a deliberate act of malice; it is described as a “faculty,” an inherent part of the self, similar to intelligence, creativity, or athletic ability. The suggestion is that for certain individuals, unkindness or cruelty is not merely a response to circumstance but an intrinsic impulse, one that demands expression as naturally as the urge to speak or move.

The wording “exercising a faculty” implies that mean behavior manifests as an almost physical or mental need. Like neglected muscles, unused for years, this part of their personality aches for activity. Meanness, in this sense, becomes a way to affirm one’s existence, to explore boundaries, or to claim significance. If this faculty was “partially neglected since early childhood,” it hints at a repression of darker urges demanded by social conditioning or parental expectations. As adults, some men might compensate for their perceived childhood restraint by expressing hostility or cruelty more acutely, as if trying to recover lost opportunities to flex this neglected side of themselves.

Fitzgerald’s insight also points to the broader environment that shapes such behavior. If children are socialized to suppress aggressive tendencies, those drives may seek release later in life, emerging as cynicism, sarcasm, or outright meanness. Rather than being a simple fault of character, the tendency towards cruelty is presented as a complicated interplay of nature and nurture, impulse and inhibition. The passage is both empathetic and critical, suggesting we consider not just the actions but the histories and psychological needs that inform people’s behavior. Ultimately, Fitzgerald exposes an uncomfortable truth: under the surface of respectability or politeness, there may lurk deep, neglected urges seeking their moment of expression, complicating our judgments of others.