Furthermore, as bitter as he is about his exclusion from other men, Crooks is grateful for Lennie's company, and when Candy enters Crook's room, it becomes difficult for him to conceal his pleasure with anger. The only relationship he can find is with his books. When Lennie talks about his dream farm, Crooks hesitantly asks Lennie an alternative for him to escape his loneliness, " If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing--just his keep, why I'd come an' lend a hand" (Steinbeck 76). Crooks' desperation to get out of his lonely spell prompts him to make such a drastic, but shy, suggestion. Crooks becomes so desperate for a relationship that he offers his services to George and Lennie for free, just to escape his loneliness. Crooks is not successful in overcoming his loneliness because Lennie dies in a matter of days and no white man in his right mind would care to step foot in Crooks' humble abode.
Moreover, Curley's wife also suffers from this great poverty that is sweeping through the farm. Unlike the other characters, Curley's wife suffers from loneliness brought on by the jealous rage of her husband. This stems from the fact that Curley is the boss's son, and he is very suspicious of the guys on the farm when it comes to his wife. No one wants to tangle with Curley due to his burning temper and jealous rage. This action causes the workers to stay clear of Curley's wife which in turn brings about her loneliness. This is evident when she states: "What's the matter with me? Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live" (Steinbeck 94). Curley's wife realizes the rejection which causes her to seek immediate attention by dressing provocatively. She feels this is the only way to be noticed and cared for. Curley's wife wants someone to share her feelings and concerns with. This leads to her relationship with Lennie. She notices that Lennie finds her "purty" which causes her to befriend him.
