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We gotta house and chickens an’ fruit trees an’ a place a hunderd time prettier than this. An’ we got fren’s, that’s what we got.
Candy’s dream of the farm doesn’t just revolve around the property’s beauty and abundance of resources, or the freedom from mean-spirited bosses. It also revolves around the strong friendship that will grow between himself, George, and Lennie as they look after the farm together. Candy’s only longtime companion, his beloved dog, has been killed, and due to the transient nature of ranch work, most of the men he’s met on the ranch have come and gone, leaving him with no trusted compatriots. The dream of the farm is a chance for him to finally have people in his life who truly care about him, and who all take care of each other.
…I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…
The crux of George and Lennie’s relationship, and the reason why it’s such a profound one, is their commitment to each other and to their friendship. Despite George’s complaints about how Lennie’s disability often gets them into trouble, the two men care deeply about one another and would be lost without the other’s company – Lennie provides George with childlike innocence and devotion, and George provides Lennie with father-like care and stability. Slim remarks that it’s uncommon to see men traveling together when working ranches, showing that George and Lennie’s friendship is rare in that world. It’s also what makes the novel’s end so painful, as it is not just Lennie who dies, but also the greater spirit of fraternity and friendship.
