1. it shows that he is willing to save his men. He told Polythemus that he was alone. His greatest strength is curiosity
2. he identifies himself because he wants credit-cockiness. Also, he feels that the cyclops cant do anything as long as he cant see.
3 . Curiosity gets him into trouble because sometimes he is too curious. If he hadnt been curious, he wouldnt have gotten into a conflict between he and the cyclops