Does Curley ever realize Lennie is cognitively disabled?

Question

From the moment Curley sees Lennie, he develops a strong dislike towards him because Lennie is physically bigger than Curley. I've always wondered if there were other reasons for Curley's hatred of Lennie, and so I thought Curley might have always suspected that Lennie was cognitively disabled, and that may have contributed to his strong dislike for Lennie. Is there any textual evidence to support this?

Answer 1

It has been 34 years since I read this book (senior in high school) however I do remember that it would have been very apparent to anyone interacting with Lennie, including Curley, that he is cognitively disabled. This coupled with his size could cause him to come across as threatening, so your reasoning is correct. This is implied in the section of the text that introduces Lennie to the reader.