e drives around are clients of Lenny's girls. When Lenny first meets Ruth he tells her about a meeting under a bridge with a girl who offered herself to him but whom he was sure was diseased. Lenny feels he has to prove himself to Ruth and show her who is the more dominant: 'so I just gave her another belt in the nose and a couple of turns of the boot and sort of left it at that.' From this it is clear that Lenny thinks that by telling Ruth stories like this of his violence it will put her in her place as a woman and earn him some respect. It has been a while since there has been a woman in the house and he probably needs to establish to himself as well as to Ruth that women are inferior objects and that she is no different.
             Ruth is not easily intimidated and listens to Lenny, only speaking in short sentences compar
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