It was Steinbeck himself that originally remarked that Lennie was meant to represent the "inarticulate and powerful yearning of all men." In the context of the setting, it is clear that Lennie Small is a symbol for the frustration and hopelessness felt by dispossessed men during the Great Depression. Lennie's regressed mental state is a way to show that feeling at its most bare.
Lennie has a yearning for affection and a sense of belonging that manifests itself even in the smallest aspects of his life. When he childishly wishes for ketchup to put on his beans, he says "But I wouldn't eat none, George. I'd leave it all for you." His longing to make George happy is reflective of his desire to belong somewhere and to have a function.
George and Lennie are trapped in extreme poverty as migrant workers. Lennie takes pleasure in hearing George's story about how he'll get to tend the rabbits over and over again, even if deep down both of them know it to be a fantasy.
According to Hoffman and Bateson, "<em>empowerment</em> is the reverse of ‘doing things by the book.’ <em>Enfranchisement</em> carries this logic even further by first <em>empowering</em> individuals and then coupling this with a reward system that recognizes people for their performance."
