Themes

Friendship Lonliness The american dream Responsibility to others The Nature of home Respect for old age Difference between right and wrong Evil of oppression and abuse

The American Dream: George and Lennie dream to be able to own a place of their own and be their own bosses Loneliness: Candy's only companion, his dog, is killed Friendship: George shooting Lennie to help him escape from a brutal lynching Innocence: Lennie's not understanding why he shouldn't enter Crooks' room Discrimination: Crooks, as a ranch outcast, lives in a room all alone Lennie and george want a farm but they need money to get it. They try to work for their money, but Lennie kept messing up their plans.


 * People need others to talk to to survive. (Crooks' statement about needing someone or going crazy, the attachment of Crooks and Candy to the dream Lennie and George share, Curley's wife seduction of the ranch hands as a buffer against loneliness) * A man's ability to dream is directly attached to having someone to share the dream with. (George lets go of the dream after Lennie is killed.) * Sometimes, even though it's not what you want, you have to do what's best for you and those you love. (George shoots his best friend, Lennie so that Lennie can escape a brutal lynching.)