The Themes in Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck wrote a naturalistic novel that deals with three powerful and universal themes. His book Of Mice and Men is a story of two men living during the Great Depression in California. George Milton has taken care of Lennie Small since his Aunt Clara died, and they are now traveling and working together. Although both are uneducated, George has a natural wit which Lennie lacks. They dream of one day owning their own land, but in the end their well-laid scheme goes astray. George and Lennie had a dream that Crooks, the stable buck, says all ranch workers had. It