Answer:
The story of Of Mice and Men centers on George and Lennie, two wandering laborers who begin working on a ranch in a place called Soledad (a Spanish word that means "solitude") in California in the 1930s. The entire plot unfolds over four days, beginning on Thursday night and concluding on Sunday. George and Lennie encounter other people at the ranch who emphasize the isolation and hardship of life for those who live and work there. Lennie is a big, strong man with a learning disability, and his friend George is a small, smart man who takes care of him. Lennie's strength poses a growing number of problems throughout the narrative as it becomes apparent that he is unaware of the extent of his power. The two men often talk about wanting to run their ranch and work for themselves in the book, but this is ultimately shown to be impossible when Lennie accidentally kills a woman, leaving George with no choice but to shoot him before he is discovered. Of Mice and Men highlights how the Great Depression hurt common working men by reflecting a time of economic ruin in the United States.