First off, one of the things that makes the episodes with Bloom more fun to read than the episodes with Stephen is because of the things that run through Bloom's head. He seems like a very introverted person, and the random things that Bloom thinks about are entertaining.
As we get deeper and deeper into the novel, we learn more and more about Bloom. To some extent it seems as if he enjoys talking to himself more than he does others. There are also some queer qualities about him which effect his interactions with others. So far it seems as if Bloom is mocked a lot by his peers. Whether it be a subtle remark, or behind his back, it does not seem as if he is respected by the others. Besides his introverted characteristics, another reason may also be because of his marriage to Molly. A lot of people criticize Leopold for different reasons, many of which are stated in episode seven, but also it has to do with his marriage to a beautiful woman who is a great singer.
One thing I hope to see in later episodes is more detail as to why many people seem to think lowly of Bloom. Also Bloom seems to be an oblivious person who probably does not even realize he is being mocked. All his time he worries about Boylan and useless things that pop into his head. Hopefully later on in the novel Bloom will be able to stand up to these men and show them why he is better than them, because as of now he seems a little pathetic and almost a pariah from the rest of his peers.
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I think you make an apt point about Bloom’s nature. I would add that Bloom’s introverted tendencies and the abuse he gets from the other characters are not separate issues. His isolation makes him vulnerable to ridicule.
Other characters are publically affronted: O’Molly interrupts Lenehan off from telling his story and only hesitantly offers Lenehan a smoke after having given one to the professor (130). Similarly, in Episode 9, Eglinton praises Moore as the great Irish writter and mentions that A.E. is compiling a volume of the best Irish poetry, but does not give any credence to Stephen.
But Lenehan gets his cigarette and Stephen continues presenting his Hamlet theory, all the more invigorated having been challenged. The difference between Bloom and these other characters is that when he is insulted, he takes it with his tail between his legs. Bloom lets others mock him and will most likely continue to do so for the rest of the novel, unless of course he snaps (but then again it is a 24-hour novel).
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