This quote comes from Candy in chapter 2 of the novella, shortly after George and Lennie arrive at the ranch. As George and Lennie are settling into the bunkhouse, George becomes wary that his bunk may be invested with roaches, lice, or tiny bugs after reading the label of a box sitting on a nearby shelf. Candy attempts to alleviate George's concerns by assuring him that the previous owner of the bunk was a clean man. Candy then elaborates on the previous owner's cleanl nature and George asks why he quit. Candy responds by saying,

Why.... he.... just quit, the way a guy will. Says it was the food. Just wanted to move. Didn’t give no other reason but the food. Just says "gimme my time" one night, the way any guy would.

Candy's description of how and why the worker left the farm illustrates the transient nature of migrant workers, who only stay in one place for a short time before moving on. By telling George that the man quit "the way a guy will," Candy indicates that it is relatively common for a worker to begin a job and leave shortly after arriving. When the worker told the boss "gimme my time," he requested to be paid for the short period he worked on the ranch.

Throughout the story, Steinbeck examines the difficulties migrant workers experience as they travel the country, going from job to job. Migrant workers have no home, are often lonely, and have no attachments anywhere they go. Similar to the previous worker, George and Lennie also share the same lifestyle.