Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men tells the story of two American workers, George and Lennie. The friendship between them is implausible because of the many differences they have between them. George is a small, intelligent, and a clever man who is always looking for a improved life, while Lennie is the opposite; he is a large man with a “bear like physique” but he has the mind of a child, always forgetting and never being able to cope with George at a psychological level. However this friendship seems to be the only in the novella as one of the main themes is loneliness.
One of the characters in which loneliness features heavily is Crooks. Crooks is “physically lonely”, because he is “exiled” from the others because he is black and is not allowed in the same
bunkhouse as the white men; he has to spend his time in the barn with only the horses to keep him company. He is allowed to communicate with the other men only when he is playing horseshoes, but, even then, no great conversation can be held because they treat him as an outcast. Crooks is also “mentally lonely” because of this isolation as well his lack of other friends or family (there is only one colored family in Soledad). He has no one to have a conversation with, so his only choice is to read books. But it is mentioned in the novella that loneliness is an emotion that Crooks has experienced all his life; Steinbeck tells us the story of how he was the only black kid in his town and how he wasn't allowed to play with the white children by his father.
Curley’s wife is yet another person who is lonely in the novella because of like Crooks being unique, but her in case of being the only female. Although she is married to Curley he shows no affection to her and she states in the novella how she doesn't like Curley saying "He's not a nice fella." The way she flaunts about the ranch is a main factor because although it is portrayed to be sexual she most probably just wants to have some company and to upset Curley in the hope of leaving the ranch. Her dislike for the ranch is shown when she reveals her past and tells the story of how she met a film director and he said she could be in the movies but her chance was taken by her mother who she thought has taken the letter the director would of sent her giving her a path to fame.
Candy is similar to the others in that he is an outcast in that he is the only old person on the ranch. But his loneliness is mainly from the death of his dog who would of served as a best friend for many years. But Candy is allowed to talk with the other workers and can share a bunkhouse and a conversation with the others.
In conclusion every character on the ranch suffers from loneliness because they are not in contact with there friends and family but the characters mentioned suffered this more so because of the lack of communication on the ranch.