Characters in Of Mice and Men

•  He needs Lennie as a friend, not only because Lennie's strength helps to get them both jobs, but so as not to be lonely. His threats to leave Lennie are not really serious. 
•   He has been a good friend to Lennie, ever since he promised Lennie's Aunt Clara that he would care for him. He looks after all Lennie's affairs, such as carrying his work card, and tries to steer him out of potential trouble.
•     He shares a dream with Lennie to own a piece of land and is prepared to work hard to build up the money needed to buy it.
•  He is honest with people he trusts. For example, he tells Slim that he used to play tricks on Lennie when they were young, but now feels guilty about it as Lennie nearly drowned.

·         He is a big man, in contrast to his name.

• He can be forgetful - George continually has to remind him about important things.
•  He is extremely strong: he can work as well as two men at bucking barley.
•  He is often described as a child or an animal - he drinks from the pool like a horse and his huge hands are described as paws.
•  He likes to pet soft things, like puppies and dead mice. We know this got him into trouble in Weed when he tried to feel a girl's soft red dress: she thought he was going to attack her.

• Slim is the jerkline skinner (lead mule-team driver) at the ranch. He is excellent at his job
• He has a quiet dignity: he doesn't need to assert himself to have authority.(Curley's Jealous of this)
• He understands the relationship between George and Lennie. He helps George at the end and reassures George that he did the right thing.
• We know little else about him, which gives him a slightly mysterious quality. Do you think he is too good to be true?
•  He is the natural leader at the ranch. Everyone respects his views and looks up to him.

• He's little - so he hates big guys.
• He is a prize-fighter and looks for opportunities for a fight.
• He is newly-married and is very possessive of his wife - but he still visits brothels.
• There is a rumour that he wears a glove filled with Vaseline to keep his hand soft for his wife.
• Curley is the boss's son, so he doesn't need to work like the ordinary ranch hands, and he has time to kill.

• She is newly married to Curley.
• She is young, pretty, wears attractive clothes and curls her hair.
• She doesn't like Curley - she tells Lennie that she only married him when she didn't receive a letter she'd been promised to get into Hollywood.
• She is young, pretty, wears attractive clothes and curls her hair.
• She is lonely - there are no other women to talk to and Curley is not really interested in her.
• She seems flirtatious and is always hanging around the bunk-house.
• We never know her name - she is merely Curley's 'property' with no individual identity.