Of Mice and Men places the reader in Depression-era California, traveling from job to job with two migrant labourers, George Milton and Lennie Small.
The novel explores their friendship, in contrast to the loneliness of their peers, and the way dreams can either motivate or unmotivate people.
It also addresses a variety of issues, including racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, that play out against the backdrop of lonely people seeking happiness.