Lennie and George are inseparable and depend on each other for everything. Lennie has a perfect quote to symbolize their relationship and future as companions; "But not us! An' why? Because.... Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that's why!"
This quote signifies the strong bond and father-son like relationship these two men share together. George is always in control. George, unlike other men, has a companion and friend in Lennie. Because of this, Lennie makes George feel special. They are different from all the other guys, and George realizes only too well that they have a special bond. At the ranch, George often plays solitaire, a game for one. Without Lennie, George would be a loner. Even though George gets frustrated by Lennie’s mental weakness, he also feels compassion for his friend. Lennie offers George the opportunity to lay plans, give advice, and, in general, be in charge.
Candy is “a tall, stoop-shouldered old man He was dressed in blue jeans and carried a big push-broom in his left hand.” His right hand is simply a stump because he lost his hand in a ranch accident. Now the owners of the ranch keep him on as long as he can “swamp” out or clean the bunkhouse. Candy gives Steinbeck an opportunity to discuss discrimination based on age and handicaps. Candy represents what happens to everyone who gets old in American society: They are thrown out. This makes Candy very lonely Candy’s greatest fear is that once he is no longer able to help with the cleaning he will be “disposed of.” Like his old dog, he has lived beyond his usefulness. Candy also plays a significant role in the dream, providing the money needed to make the down payment. Because of Candy, the dream almost becomes real. Candy’s down payment causes George to believe that, perhaps, the dream can be realized. But none of them count on the terrible meeting between Curley’s wife and Lennie in the barn.
Crooks is named because of a crooked back caused by a kick from a horse. Crooks is the stable hand who takes care for the horses and lives by himself because he is the only black man on the ranch. This makes him very lonely. Along with Candy, Crooks is a character used by Steinbeck to show the effects of discrimination. This time the discrimination is based on race, and Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse because he is black He has his own place in the barn with the ranch animals. Crooks though does have books in his room so he must have been quite clever. Crooks used to live the American dream with his old man.
Curley’s wife is the only woman in the plot. She is defined by her role: Curley’s wife or possession. George and Candy call her by other names such as “tart.” She wears too much makeup and dresses like a “whore” with red fingernails and red shoes with ostrich feathers. Lennie is fascinated by her and cannot take his eyes off her. George, realizing Lennie’s fascination, warns him to stay away from her. Curley’s wife knows her beauty is her power, and she uses it to flirt with the ranch hands and make her husband jealous. She is utterly alone on the ranch. People are scared of talking to Curley’s wife because they know they will get a beating from Curley. Curley’s wife just married Curley for the money and property so she is lonely. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife in terms of her appearance and the reactions of the ranch hands toward her. She has been alternately a “tart,” and various other insulting terms, used often by George. She tells Lennie about her loveless marriage and past hopes. Her current situation is the result of a succession of bad choices and unhappy circumstance. She is in a loveless marriage with a man who abuses her and completes her feelings of worthlessness. She lives a lonely life on a ranch, with no companion, no one to talk to, and in constant fear that her husband will beat up any person in sight. Although her actions and flirtations have intensified the unhappiness of her situation, Steinbeck gives us a view of her past, and we discover that she, like everyone else in the novel and perhaps even more so is a victim of loneliness.
Lennie and Curly’s wife are both lonely and it is their loneliness that dominates their conversation in the barn. It is here that she tells him about her own lost dreams. She appreciates the non judgemental companionship of Lennie. She explains how she lost her chance at being in the movies because of her age and her mother, and, perhaps in vengeance she took up with Curley. Lennie explains that he likes to pet soft things. This gives him comfort and helps him to elude loneliness temporarily. Curley’s wife reveals that she too likes to feel silk and velvet, and she invites him to feel her hair, which is very soft. Lennie begins to pet the hair but he messes it up. Curly’s wife screams so Lennie panics and holds on tighter. He clings to her and instead of finding support he brings about his and her destruction. Eventually kills her.
Many characters in the book are lonely. This motivates them to look for an alternate way of life. This is one of the reasons they are drifters. They are continually searching, often without really knowing what they are looking for. Characters are also lonely because of something within themselves, something which almost seems to make their loneliness inevitable. Different characters seek comfort in different ways: for George and Lennie it is each other; for Candy it’s his dog; for Crooks it’s his pride and his faultless skill at pitching horseshoes; for Curley and his wife it is marriage. In the end it is often the means they employ to escape their loneliness which brings about their destruction.