Why does Hrothgar want to build an impressive mead hall?

Heorot was Hrothgar's mead-hall, his palace, in a sense, although in Anglo-Saxon culture, a place of protection for a king's people, his palace, and his place where that king gathered all his men for celebration were the same place. For Hrothgar, the king of kings, Heorot was a mead-hall adorned with gold and a visible monument to the many successes in battle Hrothgar had one. This affluence visible in his mead-hall gives credence both to Hrothgar as a good king and Hrothgar as a successful, powerful warrior. Status as a warrior and a king were very important in Anglo-Saxon culture.