Of Mice and Men,

The dream of the ranch that George and Lennie have is based on the idea of the American Dream - that any one can profit from their own hard wor and planning. Of course this is a scarcely realised dream, and the reader can see the flaws in the men's plans before they do. Lennie's mental incapacity and the risky nature of their itinerant lifestyle mean that settling down and being self-sufficient is never really a possibility for them. The dream ranch of George and Lennie reflects the situation of many real American men at the time: moving to get and keep work, living an isolated and dangerous existence with little chance of changing this routine.