Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck's novella about two itinerant farm workers, George and Lennie, who come to a ranch in the Salinas Valley to "buck barley." George and Lennie have been companions since Lennie's Aunt Clara died. George basically looks after Lennie, who is mentally challenged. When Lennie is first introduced he is carrying a dead mouse in his pocket and is obsessed with petting soft things which he often kills because he pets them too hard. He hopes to one day "tend rabbits" when he and George get their own farm.
In chapter two Carlson asks Slim about his dog's litter of puppies while George and Lennie are listening. Carlson's plan is to put down Candy's dog and offer the old swamper a puppy as a replacement. When Lennie hears about the puppies he wants one. In chapter one George had promised to get Lennie a puppy:
“Tell you what I’ll do, Lennie. First chance I get I’ll give you a pup. Maybe you wouldn’t kill it. That’d be better than mice. And you could pet it harder.”
Slim does give Lennie a puppy, but unfortunately the big man accidentally kills it, just as he kills the mice. He often doesn't know his own strength.
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