Chapter Five of mice and men

Steinbeck has already implicitly contrasted the lonesome, individualistic existence of most of the farmhands with the more collective, communal attitude of George, Lennie and Candy. In Chapter Four, this contrast becomes still more marked. Indeed, as Crooks, Candy and Lennie - the three mentally or physically impaired "outcasts" of the farm - discuss their dream of living "of the fat of the land." These men, however are no the only outcasts. There is Curly's wife, a mere possession of her husband, who fits right in with the other lonely misfits. Lennie conversation with Curly's wife and the resigned sadness it holds is much like Lennie's conversation with Crooks.