This is made clear when he say's to Catherine, "Look, did I ask you for money? I supported you this long, I"ll support you a little more." And his fears of losing her are shown when he says, "And then you"ll move away." She tells him he is wrong but he continues, "Why not? That's life. And you"ll come visit on Sundays, then once a month, then Christmas and New Years." I think Eddie's main concern is that if Catherine leaves he will have one less person to protect and provide for. In Eddie's views, this will make him less of a man.
A man, in Eddie's eyes, should have physical strength which must be shown in his appearance. A good job and earning enough money to support his family is an additional virtue. Marco holds many of these qualities, for example, he has a family which he is supporting from what he is earning, and at the end of Act 1, when he lifts the chair he proves he has physical strength, which draws Eddie to respect Marco, although it could be seen as a threat,.
As Rodolfo has little or none of these qualities and has more feminine mannerisms and pleasures, such as singing, dress making and physical aspects such as blonde hair, Eddie is repelled and takes an instant dislike to him. This is because Eddie does not see Rodolfo as a "real man" and says on many occasions "He ain't right", Suggesting that Rodolfo may be homosexual. I think Rodolfo's workmates may share Eddie's views on his sexuality. In the middle of Act 1 Rodolfo's workmates make passing comments to Eddie about their thoughts of Rodolfo. They have nothing against him and find him funny, although they might be laughing at him, not with him. "You take one look at him- everybody's happy." In the same scene when Louis and Mike exit, their laughter rises as the see Rodolfo, who does not understand but joins in. I think this shows that they are laughing at him but he has no idea and he doesn't realise that they suspect he is "gay".
