George, knowing that the other men will go after him and send him to jail, torture him, kill him, or even worse, finds Lennie before the other men get to him to try and give him a compassionate death. George and Lennie were companions for a long time and they traveled everywhere together. George took care of Lennie and Lennie looked up to George, even idolized him. George, knowing that Lennie would never know what was going on, tells the story of their dream home together as he prepares to shoot Lennie. George finally musters up the courage to shoot him, and is offered to get a drink with Slim, a compassionate friend. Curley and Carlson look after them as the walk away and Carlson says, “Now what… ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” (107) The other men thinking that Lennie’s death wasn’t significant shows how lonely and isolated the life of a ranch hand was. Steinbeck, knowing that these characters would appeal to readers’ emotions, gave each one their own story and their own struggles. He intentionally shows isolation and loneliness in his characters, and in his story to show what life was like back then, and even now – lonely. Readers appeal to this story because they can connect to the characters and what they’re feeling. Everyone has their own struggles and stories of being alone, and that’s what Steinbeck was consciously playing