something-to-prove

The truth is, it is the younger inexperience gangsters who often cut down the older original gangsters. The best way for this young thug to prove himself to others, is to simply cut down an established gangster. Thus, this cruel cycle of senseless violence repeats itself, with the younger being more vicious and rootless than his predecessor. It__ the dog, who kills the lion, and once he has killed the lion, he__ no longer a dog; he__ now a lion himself.