Detailed Plot Summary

Chapter 1:

• George and Lennie are travelling to a new job after fleeing from their previous one in Weed, California.
• They are migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression.
• George is small and sharp, while Lennie is large and mentally disabled.
• Lennie loves to pet soft things but often accidentally kills them due to his immense strength. George takes care of Lennie, who relies on him.

• They share a dream of one day owning their own piece of land where Lennie can tend rabbits.
• They camp by a river, and George instructs Lennie to return to this spot if he ever gets into trouble.

Chapter 2:

• The next day, George and Lennie arrive at the new ranch.
• They meet Candy, an old handyman with a missing hand, and his old dog.
• The boss is suspicious of George speaking for Lennie. Curley, the boss's aggressive son, immediately dislikes Lennie.

• Curley's wife, who is never named, flirts with the workers, causing tension. George warns Lennie to stay away from her.
• They also meet Slim, a respected mule driver, and Carlson, another ranch hand.

Chapter 3:

• George confides in Slim about what happened in Weed: Lennie tried to touch a woman's dress and was accused of assault.
• Slim gives Lennie one of his puppies. Carlson convinces Candy to let him shoot his old dog, which he does reluctantly.
• Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing their dream and offers his life savings to join them. The three make a pact to buy a piece of land together.

• Curley attacks Lennie, who crushes Curley's hand in self-defence.

Chapter 4:

• While the other men are out, Lennie visits Crooks, the isolated black stable hand.

• Crooks initially rebuffs Lennie but eventually talks with him about loneliness and dreams.

• Candy joins them, and they discuss the dream of the land.

• Curley's wife interrupts, mocks them, and threatens Crooks.

• The men return, and the incident diffuses, but Crooks becomes more bitter and cynical.

Chapter 5:

• Lennie accidentally kills his puppy in the barn.
• Curley's wife finds him and tries to comfort him, revealing her own unhappiness and broken dreams of becoming a movie star.
• Lennie is fascinated by her soft hair and pets it too hard.
• She panics, and Lennie accidentally breaks her neck while trying to silence her.

• Realizing he has done something terrible, Lennie flees to the riverbank as George instructed.

Chapter 6:

• The men discover Curley's wife's body and form a lynch mob to capture Lennie. George finds Lennie first at the riverbank.
• To spare Lennie from a brutal death at the hands of the mob, George tells Lennie their dream one last time to calm him and then shoots him in the back of the head with Carlson's gun.
• Slim consoles George and walks away together, leaving the other men puzzled and indifferent.