o   George is lonely because he is a migrant worker who has to travel from ranch to ranch looking for work.

o   Also, George only has Lennie. 

o   George is searching for a piece of land to call his own. 

o   Perhaps George chooses to be alone and independent. 

·         Lennie

o   Lennie is misunderstood. Lennie is huge and immensely strong, but he is innocent and child-like. 

o   He can’t communicate well with others. He communicates differently than the other characters. 

o   He is dependent on George. 

·         Curley’s Wife 

o   Curley’s wife is forced to be alone in the house. 

o   The ranch workers will not speak with her. 

o   She is misunderstood. The ranchers believe that she is flirtatious when she just wants to speak with others. 

o   She wants company, but she is isolated by her husband. 

·         Curley

o   He feels insecure because of his height and his privilege, so he fights to prove himself. 

o   He attempts to separate himself from others by his class, but that perpetuates the cycle of loneliness.

·         Crooks 

o   He is isolated because of his race. 

o   He is forced to live by himself. 

o   Being alone is a way for him to protect himself from the prejudice of others. 

·         Candy

o   He feels lonely because of his age and his disability. 

o   He is desperate for hope and for a dream to believe in. 

o   He is defined by his old age. 

o   He is also afraid that he will be seen as useless and that he will be “disposed” of the same way as his dog.