Roland was an enforcer for a gang.
Although it was called a gang, this "clan" was not big, with only five members, and the boss was his older brother. Roland had always idolized his older brother because, out of all of them, he was the only one who had any formal education, having attended two years of school. During his time at school, his brother learned a profound lesson—
Bullying someone is very easy and is often with hardly any consequences.
As long as you create a certain "atmosphere" coupled with a little bit of fear, you can make someone feel isolated in full view of everyone else. The bullied dares not speak out, while bystanders choose to look away, and teachers often don't want to intervene for various reasons. His brother grew bolder and even started harassing female teachers, leading to his eventual expulsion when the school could no longer tolerate his behavior. Upon entering society, his brother immediately replicated his "successful strategy" elsewhere.