"I ain't got no people," George said. "I seen the guys that go around on the ranches
             alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They
             get wantin' to fight all the time" (41). A major theme in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and
             Men is loneliness. The characters George, Lennie, Candy and Curley's wife each suffer from
             loneliness even though their isolation varied.
             The old swamper Candy, was destroyed by isolation as a result of two main factors,
             one being his disability and the other being his age. For example, throughout the book the
             reader finds the farmhands out bucking the barley while Candy is left behind to sweep and
             clean the ranch. He lost his hand after getting it caught in a piece of machinery and as a
             result he is forced to stay behind. This major factor leads to his loneliness. Also Candy's
             age adds to his feeling of uselessness. He looks down on himself as an old worthless man
             that's throwing away his last few years. Not only is it the way that others think of him but
             also the way he thinks of himself that forces him to find loneliness.
             The most obvious case of loneliness is Curley's wife. No matter how hard she tried
             she couldn't fit in. For example, when she tried numerous times to talk to George and
             Lennie she was either ignored or told to leave. She had a reputation for being a flirt so
             none of the farmhands wanted to talk to her. It was the threat of getting in trouble with
             Curley that caused many workers to avoid her. George didn't want to get in any trouble
             with Curley so he told Lennie not to "even take a look at that bitch" (32). She was ignored
             by both the farmhands and her own husband and because of this she was being forced into
             ...