Of Mice and Men is a novel about two protagonists, George Milton, a short-tempered, but devoted friend to the sweet-natured, but slow-witted (mentally handicapped) Lennie Small. They travel from place to place working on farms, until they reach the end of the road, near the Salinas River, South of Soledad, California. 

"Of Mice and Men" takes place during the Great Depression, and it follows the life of two migrant farmers searching for work in the vegatable fields of California. They work very hard and get paid very little--struggling to survive. Migrant farmers often lived in very poor conditions and were forced to move often to follow the harvest seasons; once the harvests were completed, their work was no longer needed.