The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.
George, Slim, Curley, and Lennie exemplify the human condition through the priorities they set in life. Lennie, on one hand, mostly cares about soft, furry animals which shows his childlike life due to his mental disability. But
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“But little Mouse, you are not alone,” is a quote from the poem by Robert Burns, To A Mouse. This quote directly relates to how some of men treat Lennie, Slim and George want to feel like Lennie’s companion. However, Curley feels very intimidated by Lennie because he is big and gets special treatment from the men. In chapter 3, Curley picks a fight with Lennie and instead of stopping Lennie from hurting Curley the men egg Lennie on, Lennie ends up breaking Curley’s hand. Crooks and Curley’s wife have another point of view on Lennie, both of them at different times try to show Lennie that George might not always be as faithful as he has been. On page 72 Crooks says, “Well s’pose, jus’ s'pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then?” Curley's wife tries to persuade Lennie to not do exactly what George always tells him to do. The characters in Of Mice and Men show many different sides of the human condition. Living in the American Depression molded some of the ideas, but, also the men's companionship with each other affected their way of living. People today still are molded by society and companions whether they recognize it or