I believe that George did do the right thing by killing Lennie, because if he didn't do it, than Curley and the other men would have made Lennie's death much worse. The way George approached the situation made the atmosphere more peaceful, under the circumstances. George told Lennie about the farm that they were going to have, and about the rabbits. He told Lennie to "look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place."(p.106)
             If George would have let the other men kill Lennie before he did, George would never forgive himself, just as Candy did when he let Carlson kill his dog. By killing Lennie himself, George knows that Lennie was calm and happy before he died, not frightened to death by the men. It takes a true friend to do what George did. George knew that Lennie couldn't survive on his own, "...somebody'd shoot [him] for a coyote."(p.13) Even if they did manage to get away and go to another farm, Lennie would surly find his way back to some sort of trouble. Lennie didn't know the difference between right and wrong, he just knew as much as what George told him.
             After killing Lennie, George received reassurance from Slim, saying "you hadda, George. I swear you hadda."(p.107) He knew how close of companions George and Lennie were, but he also knew that George did the right thing.
             George may have lost his companion, but at least now he will have peace of mind knowing that Lennie won't get into any more trouble, and that no one will be out to hurt him.
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