In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, it is evident one of the main characters, Lennie,
             has some sort of mental disability that later proves to be a condition called autism. During the
             period of time in which the book was written many people didn't understand or know about the
             characteristics of Lennie's condition. Because many people didn't know much about autism,
             Lennie was often misunderstood. This is evident in the way he looked, thought, and acted in the
             various situations he often found himself in.
             As the novel opens and readers are introduced to Lennie, they soon learn he was a man of
             great stature. "He walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws"(2).
             Usually, when someone is considered to be large and lumbering like Lennie they're thought to
             be powerful, tough, and capable of taking care of themselves (2). Lennie possessed none of these
             qualities. In fact, he was the exact opposite; Lennie's character portrayed someone who was
             humble, modest, and meek. His personality often allowed people to walk over and take
             advantage of him. Allowing people to walk over him proved that everyone didn't really consider
             Lennie's autism gave him a sort of child-like mentally which really effected him because
             he couldn't make major decisions for himself. George, Lennie's companion and sometimes
             care giver often made the decisions for him. In chapter three Lennie is suddenly faced with a
             situation involving one of the other men working on the ranch. In this particular situation he must
             first think about defending himself and wait for George to tell him it's okay to fight back "Get
             him, Lennie . Don't let him do" (63). Lennie didn't know what to do, and he thought it was okay for someone to pick
             ...