The central problem in the book is racism, and Crooks is a character in the book that experiences the problem of racism. He is the stable buck in the book and he is treated unfairly throughout the story, and lives in the barn by himself. He is isolated from everyone else because of the color of his skin. Crooks’ room isn’t luxurious, it's a smallish shed-sized room with all his belongings strewn across the room. There is a pile of manure on the other side of his window so his view is poop. Not to mention the smell in his room is terrible (Steinbeck 66-67). I will talk about how some of the characters interact with Crooks and the absence of Crooks. Racism is a major problem in the story, Of Mice and Men. The boss treats Crooks like a stress
