Grendel - a descent from Cain who lives under an inherited curse - disrupts the joyous and peaceful meadhall of Heorot and commits various murders without apparent provocation. We can argue that the Beowulf-poet succeeds in giving the figure of Grendel his memorable power precisely by keeping him flickering in that half world of the edge of the human - far away form mankind, yet an essential part of him. In your estimation, what foremost characteristics of mankind are revealed in the poet's representation of the monster? Do Grendel's mother and/or the Dragon serve similar purposes?