Lennie's Loyalty

Loyalty is an important aspect of any friendship, and for George and Lennie it is especially because lennie is cognitively impaired. Although george's life would much easier without lennie he still chooses to stay with him. Lennie is “a lot of trouble” and george “could get along so easy and so nice” and “could live so easy and maybe have a girl” or “go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble…” without the burden of an impaired grown man (Steinbeck 11). Furthermore, Lennie makes a lot of mistakes that ultimately foreshadow what he does to Curley's wife. For example, in Weed “he seen this girl in a red dress. . . . and because he can not control himself,” he reaches out to feel it (Steinbeck 41). After “the girl lets out a squawk,” Lennie becomes confused and “holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do…he was so scairt he couldn’t let go of that dress” (Steinbeck 41). Another way George displays this loyalty toward his friend is by sharing with him the big dream. Their goal is to have a ranch and have rabbits for Lennie to take care
But when George discovers that Lennie has been keeping a mouse in his pocket George gets angry because Lennie, “ain’t to be trusted with no live mice.” because when his, “aunt clara give [Lennie] a rubber mouse and [Lennie] wouldn’t have nothing to do with it”(Steinbeck