Loneliness and Dreams

The two main themes in 'Of Mice and Men' - foreshadowed by the reference to Burns' mouse - are loneliness and dreams. They interlock: people who are lonely have most need of dreams to help them through.

Below shows both the loneliness and the dreams of each of the main characters...

• George - George is not lonely during the novel, as he has Lennie. He will be lonely afterwards, without his best friend. George and Lennie share a dream - to own a little patch of land and live on it in freedom. He is so set on the idea that he even knows of some land that he thinks they could buy.

• Lennie - Lennie is the only character who is innocent enough not to fear loneliness, but he is angry when Crooks suggests George won't come back to him.  George and Lennie share a dream - to own a…