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You’re all scared of each other, that’s what. Ever’ one of you’s scared the rest is goin’ to get something on you.
Life at the ranch is hierarchical, and its employees are constantly locked in a struggle for power and survival. As such, they must be careful about what they reveal about themselves. Curley’s wife comments that most of the men are happy to talk to her when they’re alone, but they become surly when she attempts to speak to them as a group, because they realize that a public interaction with her could result in them being ratted out to Curley. Additionally, George is suspicious of the ranch’s men, attempting to keep the extent of Lennie’s disability and the plans to buy a farm a secret, lest another man use that information against him.
He’s scared Curley’ll get mad. Well, Curley got his arm in a sling- an’ if Curley gets tough, you can break his other han’.
Curley’s wife attempts to reason that Lennie shouldn’t be scared of Curley, because Lennie can physically protect himself should Curley attack. However, what she doesn’t understand, or pretends not to understand, is that George’s fear of Curley – and, consequently, Lennie’s fear of Curley – doesn’t stem from Curley’s physical abilities but rather his position of power as the boss’s son. Curley is relatively protected from any real harm because George, Lennie, and the other men know that he can have their employment revoked if they offend him too greatly.
Maybe there was a time when we was scared of gettin’ canned, but we ain’t no more. We got our own lan’, and it’s ours, an’ we c’n go to it.
For Candy, George, and Lennie, the fantasy of their small, independent farm is not just about gaining freedom but also gaining a respite from fear. In their current positions, each man fears losing his job, not being able to make enough money to survive, having to tiptoe around violent, authoritarian men, and being discriminated against due to their age, race, or mental abilities. Candy, bolstered by the fact that George’s plans to buy the farm actually seem to be within reach, tells Curley’s wife that he can no longer be made to submit with the threat of being fired, as he’s got something to fall back on.
