Of Mice And Men is a story that presents many situations in which someone or something is shown little hope in life as well as many other things. Throughout the entire story this idea of hopelessness is the main theme. These situations will reflect on society as well as the living conditions in this particular time period.
             The first example showing relation to futility is the life of Curlys' wife. Not only is she not accessed a name throughout the entire story, but she is treated like dirt, which is exactly how women were thought of then. She never really had a chance as the woman she was and that point was proven at the end of the novel when she was killed, which was symbolic of how she was treated and was never truly given a chance as a woman to succeed in society at that time.
             In section three when Candys' dog is shot because it is too old and useless. Society at that time was a struggle to live in, and there was no room for useless people or animals. This is why Candys' dog had to be shot. He was no longer the young healthy dog that he was in his prime, and needed to be put down. Again this shows how the dog never really had a chance to live because it was old and useless, thus society simply got rid of him.
             Lennie, all though a very strong man and excellent worker on the ranches, was always quite dumb and childish even as an adult. This was a weakness that would prove fatal for the beloved Lennie. The fact that Lennie was stupid would prevent him from knowing when to stop something, for example petting animals or holding on to something he liked. This fault was always getting him in trouble and when he went too far, by breaking Curlys' wife's neck, he was killed. This was ultimately Lennie's weakness and society had no room for it, just like the previous examples.
             When Slim's dog had puppies, Slim had to drown some of them before they even had a chance to live
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