Lennie would have to suffer and end up being insane and never be the same if he was put into the asylum George decides to kill Lennie so he does not have to be in misery. George and Slim were talking and Slim was thinking about putting Lenne in an asylum, but George refused. George retorts to Slim with “...An’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie has a mental disability and George is his caretaker he needs to be responsible for Lennie’s actions. George does not want Lennie to live in agonizing pain and wants to protect Lennie. He feels like the chains and the cage will get Lennie scared and he will end up going crazy. By showing George’s worries he wants to protect Lennie.
