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Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.
Crooks is a longtime employee of the ranch, and he has seen many migratory workers come and go. He knows that Lennie, Candy, and George’s dream of owning their own land together isn’t a unique one – everyone dreams of it, and everyone’s dreams come to nothing. Up until this point in the novel, George and Lennie’s dream seems to be quickly gathering steam. George knows of a real property that’s for sale, and Candy’s recent inclusion has added a fair bit of money to their savings. However, Crooks’ somber, cynical statement rings true and foreshadows the novel’s approaching conclusion.
A guy needs somebody to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.
Crooks is one of the most ostracized and isolated people at the ranch on account of his race. As a Black man, he doesn’t share the same quarters as the other men, and they generally avoid interacting with him outside of playing horseshoes. In response to his ostracization, Crooks isolates himself further, relying on books for stimulation and snapping at anyone who attempts to interact with him in a friendly manner. However, his behavior is just a defense mechanism – like many other characters in Of Mice and Men, he yearns for deeper human connection, but he has become closed off and cruel due to years of mistreatment and loneliness.
’Member what I said about hoein’ and doin’ odd jobs? Well, jus’ forget it. I didn’t mean it. Jus’ foolin’. I wouldn’t want to go no place like that.
When Lennie and Candy tell Crooks about their plan to buy a farm, Crooks’ initial reaction is skeptical. However, he too becomes momentarily enamored by the dream of freedom, and makes a case for himself to Candy, saying that despite his physical disability, he could contribute a fair share of hard labor to the farm if they’d let him join. But by the time the conversation ends, Crooks has come back to reality. He knows that the farm is a fantasy that will never come to fruition, so he pretends that he was never interested in it at all. Of course, he’s not being entirely truthful – he certainly would want to go to a “place like that,” but he knows that George, Lennie, and Candy’s plans are doomed and is protecting himself from disappointment by avoiding further involvement.
