They devour cattle, emprison women, and maintain the country in a state of fear and confusion; but, armed only with his brain and a few magical objects he gathered, Jack will gain the advantage and slay the monsters. This is a classic tale, of which child psychologist Bruno Bettleheim observed that it could play a crucial role in child development: the giants can represent the towering adults, and Jack's legend may give the child a way of retaliating in fantasy against their threatening dominance in reality.