George tells Slim that he used to play tricks on Lennie but doesn't anymore. Slim remarks that Lennie is "jes like a kid." Slim protects George and Lennie after Lennie's confrontation with Curley. Carlson says that he can shoot Candy's old dog without him feeling any pain.
The answer is that there were Italian Fascism in the 1920's <span>Japanese militarism and invasions of China in the 1930s, and especially the political takeover in 1933 of Germany by Hitler and his Nazi Party and its aggressive foreign policy.</span>
