What effect does the cyclops curse have on the poem and why do you think the poet included this information when it could have been left out?

In regards to the Ancient Greek Poem by Homer called "The Odyssey", the cyclops curse made it so that Odysseus would never make it home, but in the unlikely case that he did, it would take him so long that he would lose all those close to him. This would make life incredibly hard when he got home. The poet included this to most likely illustrate the stakes that were involved for Odysseus which would influence his actions.