Everyone can agree that the worst possible feeling is the feeling of being alone. In the John Steinbeck novel, Of Mice and Men, the pain of loneliness is a prominent theme as it depicts the sad and forsaken lives of the lower-class workers. Candy becomes the image of total loneliness caused by age. Crooks is the equivalent of complete loneliness caused by prejudice and racism. As the only female on the ranch, Curley's wife also voices her loneliness while she is demoralized by sexist views.
Candy, the oldest man on the farm is also one of the loneliest. He is rejected by all for being old and handicapped. His old age and disabilities cause him to become a useless hand on the farm, not being able to handle almost all of the jobs. Candy understands this fact and that he is one step away from being left out. The only thing that allows him to keep with this farm is his sweeping job and his faithful, old, blind dog. There is a connection between the two, his dog being just like him, useless, old, and not appreciated amongst the workmen. When his only company, his dog, is taken from him and killed, Candy fears that he will be treated the same way in the future and wants to join Lennie and George on their ranch. A cure for the loneliness is something that George and Lennie have. Not the friendship between the two, but the goal they set, the dream, that is attainable. Candy, with the death of his companion, lost his dreams and latches on to Lennie's dream, finding hope and satisfaction. This being the reason that Candy wished to give up all his savings for the dream.
Crooks, probably the most experienced with discrimination and solitary, is another lonely character. Because he is the only black man on the ranch, he is forced to live alone in a shed of the barn, and no one will have any interaction with him. No one gives him any reference to friendship, because of his race and also because his experiences have instructed him to reject any chance of sympathy.