The itinerant workers are caught in a trap of loneliness - they never stay in one place long enough to form permanent relationships. Even if such relationships existed, they would probably be destroyed by the demands of the itinerant life.

Let's examine the lonely situation of some of the characters, see how they try to deal with it, and the result.

Candy is lonely because he is old, and is different from the other hands. His only comfort is his old dog, which keeps him company and reminds him of days when he was young and whole.

He has no relatives, and once his dog is killed is totally alone. He eagerly clutches at the idea of buying a farm with George and Lennie, but of course this all comes to nothing.

Candy's disappointment is expressed in the bitter words he utters to the body of Curley's wife, whom he blames for spoiling his dream.

George is also caught in the trap of loneliness. Just as Candy has his dog for company, George has Lennie (who is often described in animal-like terms). Continuing the parallel, George too is left completely alone when Len

He goes to watch the fun when Curley thinks Slim may be with his wife, and later goads Curley more, threatening to

Later he is very keen to get his gun to join in the hunt for Lennie. The last words in the book belong to Carlson, and it is little surprise that they reveal his complete inability to understand George's feelings about the death of Lennie.

Contrasted to these two characters is Lennie, who almost seems a part of the natural world as he is described in animal terms.

To Lennie, the dream is an antidote to disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite the description of the farm to him.

He has married in an attempt to overcome his loneliness, but has blindly chosen a wife totally inappropriate for the kind of life he leads.

Crooks reveals that it is the favourite dream of the itinerant ranch hands:

Some common words found in the essay are:
George Lennie's, George Lennie, American Dream, Loneliness Loneliness, Crooks Crooks, Lennie Curley, Lennie Compared, Curley Slim, Candy Crooks, Ironically Curley's, curley's wife, george lennie, george lennie's, dream farm, natural world, ranch hands, george lennie's dream, trap loneliness, dog company, dream george, caught trap, caught trap loneliness,
Approximate Word count = 1291
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)