The story "Of Mice and Men" is set in a period of time known as the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time when the stock market crashed leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless or trying exceptionally hard to keep their roofs from collapsing. The characters in "Of Mice and Men" face many dilemmas, for example Curley's wife does not. she gets a lot of attention from her husband and seeks it from the other members of the ranch and Crooks can't live a day without being singled out because of her race/color. Both of these issues relate to what I believe is the biggest issue in this book, loneliness. The loneliness made Crook a very bitter and isolated individual. Except when they work, the other men exclude Crooks from all their activities except playing horseshoes. Crooks is very isolated and not welcome in recreational activities. Crooks' emotions are shown to the reader when he talks to Lennie in his room about having no one to relate to and communicate with. He says, "Maybe now you can understand. You have George. You know he'll be back. Suppose you don't have anyone. Suppose you couldn't go to the dorm and play rummy because you were black... A boy needs someone to stand by him." In a way, everyone needs someone to talk to, whether it's a friend, a family member, or even a pet. This is a source of comfort and wealth for the person. Crooks has none of these sources. Crooks has never been treated well by any of his colleagues because he is black. This affected Crooks greatly. He became bitter and acquired passionate animosity towards everyone. He has a certain attitude towards everyone because of the way he is treated because of his race. Furthermore, Crooks also doesn't know what... middle of paper... love and affection he wants. This makes other people look for her. By not talking to anyone and constantly worrying about what Curley will do, he has achieved a deviousness that no one on the ranch likes. Acting flirtatious is the only way Curley's wife thinks she can deal with her loneliness. Although the Great Depression had a huge impact on the characters in the book, loneliness had a greater impact. Loneliness greatly affected the behavior and thoughts of Crooks and Curley's Wife. There are distinct changes in both. Crooks developed a bitter personality, and Curley's wife became overly modest. Simple relationships and unconditional care could have prevented both of these characters' situations. Loneliness affected each person differently, but the source of why they changed is the same.