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George wun’t go away and leave me. I know George wun’t do that.
Crooks antagonizes Lennie by insinuating that George could abandon Lennie at any moment, whether by choosing to leave him behind or by dying and leaving Lennie without anyone to rely on. Due to the lack of options and care services for developmentally disabled people at the time, if George were to abandon Lennie, Lennie would swiftly end up in a mental institution, which, during this era, were often terribly abusive to their patients, or he would face homelessness and death. Although it’s difficult for Lennie to fully conceptualize how drastic his situation would be without George, he does understand that a life without George is something to fear.
“We gonna have a little place,” Lennie explained patiently. “We gonna have a house an’ a garden and a place for alfalfa, an’ that alfalfa is for the rabbits...”
Lennie’s entire life revolves around the dream to care for rabbits at his and George’s future farm. The rabbits are one of the few things he can always remember and that keep him conscious of avoiding mistakes. He’s so devoted to the rabbits that he’ll actively remember George’s rules, since George has told him that he won’t be allowed to care for the rabbits if he continues to make mistakes. Lennie’s dedication to the rabbits exhibits his goodness – his greatest dream in life is to care for other living beings. Sadly, the tragic irony of Lennie’s character is that he’s born into a body and mind that make it impossible for him to properly care for things softer and smaller than him, from mice and puppies to rabbits, and, of course, Curley’s wife.
“Lennie never done it in meanness,” [George] said. “All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ’em mean.”
George understands completely that all of the mistakes Lennie’s made have come from good, caring, and innocent intentions, and that he never meant to hurt anyone. From grabbing the girl’s dress to accidentally crushing mice and puppies, and, most importantly, to killing Curley’s wife, Lennie was always driven by his impulse to touch soft things and care for small creatures. Lennie didn’t even want to hurt Curley despite the fact that Curley was actively attacking him. Sadly, while George knows that Lennie is innocent of any evil intentions, the other men of the ranch don’t have this same understanding of Lennie’s nature.
