George and Lennie are the two main characters in the novel. They seem to provide a contrast to the theme of loneliness because they have each other and care about each other and they share their dream to have a house and ‘a couple of acres of land’. George tells the familiar story ‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. Lennie continues George’s words which he knows ‘by heart’: But not us! An’ why? Because ... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you’. This further emphasises their companionship and how the two men are so close because George is taking care of Lennie; caring for him gives George a sense of purpose which distracts him from his loneliness and makes him focus on their dream of a permanent home.
Due to Lennie’s simple state of mind he cannot communicate properly with others so it is as though he lives in a world of his own. George has Lennie’s companionship but complains that Lennie is more like a child, ‘You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get,’ and so, for George, the friendship does not mean that he has someone with whom he can communicate fully. This leaves George lonely at times, and often isolated because looking after Lennie is very difficult as Lennie often gets into trouble without realising it. Lennie remembers that ,‘They run us outta Weed,’ because Lennie had innocently stroked a girl’s dress. Lennie just wanted to feel the material and cause no harm to the woman but his actions were misunderstood. This incident prepares the reader for the ending of the novel when Lennie will inadvertently commit murder, and George will not be able to save him from the consequences and will therefore be left alone.
In the bunkhouse, George often plays ‘solitaire’ which is a card game that is played alone, ‘he sat at the table and dealt himself a solitaire hand’. This re-enforces the idea that George is still lonely even though he is in the bunkhouse. Steinbeck is showing that there is still the loneliness of the individual as the other men who sleep there are not really friends but just passing by and so the current companionship is not permanent.
Candy feels lonely because he is old and disabled, ‘I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch’. He has been at the ranch a long time and would like a home of his own. He has savings which were compensation for the accident which caused his disability. He becomes very excited at the prospect of using this money to join in with George and Lennie’s dream, ‘Candy went on excitedly, ‘How much they want for a place like that?’ as the three of them begin to realise their dream is possible. The character of Candy shows the reality of what may happen to these itinerant workers in the future as they become old and less able to work; he conveys a picture of loneliness in old age.
Steinbeck uses animals in the novel to show how characters try to relieve loneliness. Examples of this are the mouse that Lennie finds, Candy’s dog and Lennie’s pup. Candy’s dog acts as his companion and so the dog relieves his loneliness. However, Candy’s dog has to be put down because it is very old and it is shot by Carlson to free it from suffering, Candy ‘rolled over slowly and faced the wall and lay silent’. Candy’s anguish at losing his pet and being alone again reinforces the theme of loneliness. This situation also prefigures what will happen to George and Lennie at the end of the novel because Lennie will be dead and George will be alone.
It is at this stage that the men do show empathy towards Candy, Slim says ‘You can have a pup if you want to’. Slim also quickly understands the situation when Curley’s wife has been killed. He empathises with both George and Lennie as he suggests, ‘Curley – maybe you want to stay here with your wife,’ when he realises that Curley would not show Lennie any mercy. Slim’s understanding and empathy show that Steinbeck sees that loneliness could be overcome but suggests that it may only be temporary.
Crooks is the stable-hand and is the only black man on the ranch; he suffers racism from the other characters. At the time the novel was written, racism was common against black people, especially in the USA where the novel is set. Crooks has his own living space which is physically separated from the main bunkhouse. This symbolises the separation of people from each other through racism. He too, admits that he is lonely, ‘A guy needs somebody-to be near him...I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick’.
The scene in Crooks’ room is the setting for all four of the least powerful characters to be seen together. When Crooks realises that Lennie is very dependent on George, he frightens Lennie by suggesting to him that George will not return, ‘s’pose George went into town tonight and you never heard of him no more’. Crooks is deliberately trying to unsettle Lennie for his own amusement.
Candy is looking for companionship and wants to find Lennie. Crooks allows Candy into his room, ‘you can come in if you want’. This is the first time that Candy has entered Crooks’ room. The racism that affected black people at the time, removed all power from them so that they lived in fear. Curley’s wife bullies and threatens Crooks when he tries to ban her from his room, ‘You know what I can do to you if you open your trap’. Here Steinbeck is trying to show how badly black people were treated as Curley’s wife is reminding Crooks, and the reader, that Crooks could be hanged without a trial if she accused him. This is significant as even a woman, who had very little power in the system at the time, could abuse black men without any legal consequences to herself. Candy stands up for Crooks, ‘If you was to do that, we’d tell,’ but Candy then acknowledges that they would not be believed. This shows how lonely and powerless each of the characters are within society as a whole but also that they are also unkind to each other and so will remain isolated and lonely instead of building companionship and solidarity together.
Curley’s wife is isolated from everyone else on the ranch purely because she is a woman. She is not given a name of her own but is referred to only in relation to her husband, Curley. Women at the time were not treated as equal to men when it came to their rights in marriage and society. In Candy’s opinion, ‘Well, I think Curley’s married...a tart’. This shows Candy’s prejudice by describing her only in terms of her gender. When he finds her dead, Candy blames her for spoiling the dream of his home with George and Lennie, ‘Ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. You wasn't no good’. This is further showing the inequality between men and women. Candy is making her the scapegoat when she is a victim too. Curley’s wife was clearly lonely and looking for companionship. Candy is lonely but he does not seem able to empathise with her loneliness. This is very similar to the bunkhouse where there are lots of people yet still people are lonely.
In conclusion, loneliness is a very important theme in ‘Of Mice and Men’. Steinbeck illustrates that loneliness occurs due to many reasons and that every character in ‘Of Mice and Men’ is lonely in some form. However, Steinbeck offers no permanent solution to their loneliness by showing that the insecurity of the characters’ lives seems to add to their isolation and they cannot provide the companionship to each other that would ease their loneliness.