n who has been at the ranch for some time. He can remember people who have come and gone previously. He doesn’t do much on the ranch, but he can do small odd jobs about the place. He has lost his hand in an accident, which makes him even less useful. The others do not hate him; he just gets left out because he is old. He has a companion, his dog, whose life parallels his. The dog was once a sheepdog, but has aged and now is only kept around because he is liked. The others all agree that the best thing for the dog is to shoot it. Candy fears the same, but when he hears of George and Lennie’s plan to have their own farm, he offers them a considerable amount of money if they will let him come along, to give his life purpose once more. George, on life without Lennie: "Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want" (Steinbeck, 11-12).George, on loneliness and Lennie: "I ain't got no people. I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time. . . 'Course Lennie's a Goddamn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him" (Steinbeck, 45).The above two quotes from George may paint him as a two-faced monster, but there is a heart in George that few know other than Lennie. The Boss, another character, says it best, "Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is" (Steinbeck, 25). George gave a promise to Lennie’s Aunt Clara, before she died, to take care of Lennie. This promise may have bound George to Lennie, but it is the friendship and need for companionship that kept that bond strong an...
