Power and Powerlessness

And these shelves were loaded with little articles, soap and talcum powder, razors and those Western magazines ranch men love to read and scoff at and secretly believe.

Sure. Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger.

Yeah. Nice fella too. Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him. The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn about that. He reads a lot. Got books in his room.

“He can do anything you tell him,” said George. “He’s a good skinner. He can rassel grain bags, drive a cultivator. He can do anything. Just give him a try.”

I don’ like this place, George. This ain’t no good place. I wanna get outa here.

A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions.

I think you got your han' caught in a machine. If you don't tell nobody what happened, we ain't going to. But you jus' tell an' try to get this guy canned and we'll tell ever'body, an' then will you get the laugh.

Well, that girl rabbits in an' tells the law she been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie.

George looked over at Slim and saw the calm, God–like eyes fastened on him.

Get 'im, Lennie. Don't let him do it.