The most heartbreaking aspect of the story for me was, that Lennie had an innocent mind and never wanted to hurt anyone or anything. He just wanted to be affectionate, so when the ending comes it shatters your heart completely. "The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry" is a verse from a poem by Robert Burns, and when the name of the book comes from that, you know that not everyone will have a chance for a happy ending.

Lennie enjoyed George's descriptions about the farm they would one day own, where there would be plenty of food and they could work only for themselves. George convinces Lennie, that they have things a lot better than other migrant workers, because they have each other. This is only emphasized by the people in their new work place, where everyone are lonely in their own way.

I enjoyed this, but I still have to lean towards Grapes of Wrath, where Steinbeck's post-Depression social consciousness really explodes into full bloom.