George is like an interpreter for Lennie. Lennie would not be able to understand a lot of what people are trying to say without George being there for him. An example of this is Curley and his wife, Curley’s wife said, “‘What’s the matter with me? Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? …I ain’t doin’ no harm to you’” (87-88). She is a predator trying to catch her prey because of her need to talk to Lennie even though George said not to. George’s sanity would be higher without the need to be Lennie’s babysitter all day and night. Lennie relies on George to answer questions that he gets asked. Because of this, the boss was growing tired of George answering questions for Lennie and said, “‘Then why don’t you let him answer? What are you trying to put over?”… “I said what stake you got in this guy?’” (22). You can sense the tension with this quote from the boss because Lennie should be able to answer questions for himself. Psychologically, Lennie relies upon George for protection while George relies on Lennie as a friend.
George knows that he can make more money if he left Lennie, but he chooses against it because he cares about him. He does not abandon Lennie because he is a companion and keeps him from becoming lonely. George also does not leave Lennie because he knows that he would not be able to survive without answering questions for Lennie. George and Lennie depend on each other financially, socially, and psychologically. Dependency can be a big part of someone's life just like in Lennie and