Most people at some point in time have felt lonely, as if the world is turning against them. A lot of people feel isolated and lonely due to some sort of barrier, whether it is race, gender, or people group. However, people can also choose to be lonely. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, isolation and loneliness are displayed throughout the novel. It begins with two men named George and Lennie who have moved to work on a new ranch. Unfortunately for them, Lennie has a mental disability which causes his brain to function as a child’s brain, this disability creates many conflicts throughout the novella. They met many characters that were divergent from the rest of the workers, such as Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy. Steinbeck used dialogue between characters to present his belief that loneliness and isolation are caused by both social barriers and personal choice. Candy is set apart from the rest of the workers due to his old age and his strong bond with his dog who eventually was killed. Candy is first introduced as “a tall stoop-shouldered old man”(18), indicating to the audience he is old. Candy also has a hand injury which prevents him to do as much as the rest of the men are able to, making him feel isolated to certain things. Toward the beginning of the novella, Carlson suggested to Candy that he should kill his dog due to its old age. Candy cried desperately “‘No, I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im too long’”(45). He looked at Slim for reassurance, but Slim