Oliver confesses to Duke Frederick that he has never loved his brother Orlando although he never professes any animosity toward their other brother Jaques (not the same melancholic Jaques of The Forest of Arden). Shakespeare never says why Oliver hates Orlando but there was undoubtedly some form of competition over differing innate qualities or over favoritism displayed by their deceased father. Whatever the cause, Oliver consigns Orlando to a penniless life and deprives him of benefits and education, even though Jaques is given these things. Oliver has done nothing but evil to Orlando including trying to murder him.
When Duke Frederick orders Oliver to bring Orlando to his court, "dead or living," Oliver goes to Arden Forest. There he falls asleep, is wrapped about by a snake and is stalked by a crouching lioness, all the while sleeping. Orland happens by and sees an unrecognized sleeping figure, "A wretched man,...
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o'ergrown with hair," at the mercy of the lioness. Orlando starts to rescue him, finally recognizes his brother, turns to leave, is torn by higher values, turns back and wrestles the lioness to save his unworthy brother. Oliver awakens after Orlando kills the lion. The knowledge that Orlando saved him fills him with a spiritual epiphany of the highest kind and he has a conversion of heart right at that instant. The brothers are reconciled amidst tears that "our recountments had most kindly bathed."
It is hard to pinpoint a character trait that foreshadows Oliver's epiphany and conversion and that may be Shakespeare's exact point, that epiphanies and conversions are not tied to character traits but are tied to the sudden awakening of a new vision of life, moral value and love, thereby answering Amiens' song about the bitterness of the betrayal of friendship.
One of the things that made Shakespeare a great writer was his ability to create realistic characters that reflected people's needs, desires, and conflicts. He took as much care with minor characters as he did with his main protagonists. In the case of Oliver in As You Like It, he looks at what drives a person and how that person can change. Oliver was jealous of his brother Orlando because Orlando was the favorite. Oliver judged Orlando by his own character, expecting him to be grasping and jealous, too. He did not see that Orlando was not interested in the same things he was. He was insecure and afraid, so he tried to have Orlando killed. He felt threatened by Orlando's strength and confidence.
What changed him, however, was love. When he met Celia and fell in love, he was able to look at things from a different perspective and see truly that Orlando was no threat to him. The two brothers' characters mirror the characters of Duke Senior and his brother, who experienced much the same conflict as Orlando and Oliver. Since the play is a comedy, all is resolved at the end. Duke Senior is restored to his court and the play ends with multiple marriages and reunited brothers .