“Well, that glove’s fulla Vaseline.”
“Vaseline? What the hell for?”
“Well, I will tell ya what – Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife.”
– John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2, Candy and George about Curley’s vanity. It’s clear that Curley’s marriage is a performance to impress the other men on the ranch. He uses his wife to show how manly he is.