Throughout the novel “ Of Mice and Men”, Steinbecks demonstrates many people who are isolated and neglected. That is clearly shown in Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy. Under the Great Depression, they are all kept control and cannot makes friends with others. But not everyone has to suffer from loneliness because they have friends besides, encourage and help them, like George and Lennie.

Firstly, Crooks is described as the loneliest guy on the ranch. He had a very peaceful and happy childhood with his brothers: “ I remember when I was a little kid on my old man’s chicken ranch. Had two brothers. They was always near me, always there.” However, Crook’s adulthood is full of solitary. He is isolated by everybody on the ranch because of his black skin. For instance, no one lets him play cards with them since they say he “ stinks”. There is nobody who Crooks can talk to and make friends with. Moreover , in the conversation with Lennie, he tries to tortune Lennie with the purpose of expressing his loneliness. He warns Lennie regarding George: “ Le’s say he wants to come back and can’t. S’ pose he gets killed or hurt so he can’t come back. Crooks makes Lennie understand that Lennie cannot be independent, he cannot live without George. More than others, Crooks knows about exclusion and suffering because he had a really hard and tough life for being a racist. He knows that “Books ain’t no good. A guy need somebody- to be near him”. In addition, Crooks becomes more piteous when he is not even allowed to dream by Curley’s wife. When she theatens Crooks, he tells Candy and Lennie: “ You guys comin’ in an’ settin’ made me forget. What she says is true”. Therefore, Steinbecks demonstrates Crooks as one of the most separated character whose life becomes difficult and tough because of discrimination.

Secondly, Curley’s wife is a excluded and neglected person as well. She is the only girl on the ranch who is very lonely in a man’s world. She used to have a dream to be a movie star but it did not come true “ Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers…Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it…I never got that letter.” And her youth makes her so naïve and rebellious that she thought if she marries Curley, her life would be more interesting. However, she is trapped in a sorrowful and awful marriage to a guy who just uses her as his possession to show off his “ glove full of Vaseline”. Curley’s wife does not have a friend so she always finds someone to talk to. Unluckily, all the ranchers avoid her and consider her a “ rat trap” or a “tart”. They do not want to get into trouble because of her. And that makes her feel more isolated and excluded. For instance, when Curley’s wife comes to Crooks’s room, Candy says: “ Maybe you just better go along an’ roll you hoop…’cause Curley maybe ain’t gonna like his wife out in the barn with us ‘bindle stiffs”. The only men that Curley’s wife can talk to is Lennie although he does not understand anything she says. Consequently, the conversation with Lennie leads to an ultimate price which she has to pay by her death. Curley’s wife is clearly illustrated to be a rejected girl who has no power and is always ignored by others.

Thirdly, Candy also has to suffer from a lot of solitary and isolation. He is an old man without the right hand.That is the result of an accident happening when he worked on the ranch. Lacking the right hand, he is always afraid that the boss will soon declare him useless, demand him to leave the ranch and he will get “canned”. Then, he will have no where to go. Candy has the only companion which is his old dog. It is the only one that always follow his instructions and he can talk to and rely on. In the end, it was killed by Carlson which increases lots of his disappointment and loneliness. “ He turned over and looked for a moment at the gun before he turned back to the wall again”. Candy has no longer a friend stand besides and