Big Bill the Bully is actually a victim. Whether at work, at home , in school, at college or at the neighborhood streetcorner 'nukkad'.
'Bill the Bully' is a victim of his closed mind and thus he bullies.
Bullying is about judging. It is about establishing who is more worthy or important. They judge the others to be less valuable human beings and they rub their faces of their victims to demean them on a daily basis. And that is what they get out of life.
Bullies gain social status from their actions. It is not that bullies are low in their self-esteem but judging and demeaning others gives them a self-esteem rush. Others see the bullies as cool & powerful. They are feared when they are present. This upps their standing in their reference groups.
There is a big dose of fixed -mindset thinking in the bullies: some people are superior and some inferior and that is decided on the basis of his evaluation and beliefs. He is closed about that. And you know what - the Bully believes that he is the one with the power to judge that. Merciless punishment is his power to punish the victim and that gives him the high !
Evaluate that Bully colleague or bully boss at work .... that toughie at the Nukkad .... that dominating cousin in your family from this dimension and actually you will pity Big-Bill Bully more than getting scared of him.