Answer:
I think one thing Steinbeck is trying to get his readers to understand is that people need each other, even if the relationships may not fit the conventional paradigm that society might expect.
Explanation:
George and Lennie are the obvious example here. One man is short and "street-wise", while the other man is huge and simple-minded. All the same, the two men need each other, compliment one another (one provides "the brains", the other provides "the brawn"), and share a common dream.
Success, for most people is something they’ve been hoping for since they graduated from high school if not earlier. When they gain the success they’ve been dreaming of it brings them great joy and makes them think about bigger and greater things for the future.
Bias? is it used like author's bias?
Most likely A.
In this case a simple statement could be any of those, to shorten to the simple statement you would generalize :)
