Friendship is rare in the 'survival of the fittest' world of the ranch, where almost everyone looks out for only themselves, and are suspicious of one another, because their lives are so insecure. This could be viewed as a result f the great depression in America, which left people all over the country poor and desperate for work. As a result of this poverty, Steinbeck presents the characters as suspicious and distrustful, and against the backdrop of loneliness and isolation, George and Lennie's friendship seems even more remarkable, and even more doomed. Even their boss was suspicious of Georges motives as friendship is rare and he assumes that George must have an ulterior motive. This brings to light the harsh life of a migrant worker in