One irony about the conflicting relationship of George and Lenny is the fact that George knows that he would be better off without the burden of caring for the mentally diminished Lenny:
If I was alone, I could live so easy. I could get a job an'work, an' no trouble...and when the end of the month comes, I could take my 50 bucks and go into town and get whatever I want.
However, he also understands Steinbeck's theme of the community of man that helps men measure the world. When asked why he travels with Lenny, George tells Slim,
I aint got no people. I seen the guys that go around on ranches alone. They ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean...wantin' to fight.....'Course Lennie's...a nuisance most of the time, but you get used to going around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him.
In addition, the childlike Lenny--albeit the cause of their troubles--is the reason that George can keep alive the dream of having a ranch and happiness, a dream that protects them from a pedatory world. Once Lenny dies, George knows that the dream, too, is dead. Using an old cliche, George "can't live with him, but he can't live without him," either.
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