Loneliness from the American Heritage Dictionary means without companions or solitary. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many of the characters are lonely. Curley's wife and Crooks are but two of the many characters in the novel who suffer from loneliness. Both Curley's wife and Crooks deal with being alone differently. On one hand, Curley's wife tries to open herself up to the ranch workers while Crooks does the opposite and …showed first 75 words of 703 total…

…showed last 75 words of 703 total…gain friends by opening themselves up to others while the other closed himself from the rest of the world. The ways both dealt with loneliness affected their lives in a negative way because Curley's wife died by trying to befriend another while Crooks life seems like it will not change and Crooks will still be alone. Both of these characters knew the importance of friends and companionship but just didn't know how to get it.