Geryon finds himself questioning his own reality as a direct result of his older brother degrading him. His brother speaks to him as if Geryon is some sort of evil being that deserves punishment. He is beating Geryon down with things that sit in the mind. For instance, while newly sharing a bedroom he tells him, “what smells in here is you, Geryon” (Carson, 51). The ridicule isn’t just brotherly banter, but appears to be a sort of psychological attack. He is leaving young Geryon to ponder his words, and decide what to make of them. In our youth, human beings form their perceptions of the world. The self concept is what we know about ourselves. We start building our self concept through personal beliefs and the reactions of others during social interaction. “He had a respect for facts maybe this was one” (Carson, 51), Geryon is left to believe that his brother’s remark may be truth. In reality, Geryon’s older brother is likely the one that actually smells badly, which is why he is pinning the negative trait onto his sibling. But, his intimidation is not just to make himself feel better, it is to weaken Geryon. After shaming Geryon, he sexually abuses the young boy in the same scene. These types of behaviors are the things that affect people for life. “Self-esteem is the level of positive feeling one has about oneself” (Greenberg, 217), and it remains relatively constant throughout life. Being humiliated and sexually assaulted by someone at a young age, especially by a relative, is bound to affect self esteem in the long run.