John Steinbeck's <em>Of Mice and Men</em> is a novella that tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers with a deep sense of loyalty and friendship. The setting of the story is during the Great Depression, where migrant workers have a huge crisis in looking for work.
Lennie Small is a man with a mild mental disability, despite his big appearance. He is dependent on his friend George for protection and guidance. Lennie also have a tendency of petting soft things which often led to the death of his pets like the dead mouse which he kept petting even after the rodent's death. So, Aunt Clara gave him a toy rubber mouse to keep him occupied, while at the same time, unable to kill the animal.
