John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in California's Salinas Valley, a region that would later serve as the setting for Of Mice and Men, as well as many of his other works. He studied literature and writing at Stanford University. He then moved to New York City and worked as a laborer and journalist for five years, until completing his first novel in 1929, Cup of Gold. With the publication of Tortilla Flat in 1935, Steinbeck achieved fame and became a popular author. He wrote many novels about working-class California. Two of his most famous novels included Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck took the title of Of Mice and Men from a line by Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, “The best schemes of mice and men often go awry.” In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes the theme of loyalty and sacrifice among friends. Steinbeck illustrates loyalty and sacrifice between friends through Lennie and George's friendship. The question of loyalty is embodied in the character of George. He is an intelligent man who could successfully make a living on his own alongside his friend Lennie. George is never able to find stable work to realize his long-term goal of having a farm of his own. The first job Lennie and George do together goes well for a while. Lennie sees a nice dress a girl is wearing. Without thinking about what he's doing, he reaches over and grabs the dress to touch the beautiful fabric. This scares the girl and she tells the boss that soon the whole town is looking for Lennie. This is the perfect time for George to start a new life, without Lennie. However, due to his loyalty to Lennie, he chooses to help Lennie escape town. Lennie needs George to survive. This is what drives George to make the sacrifice he does. After Lennie kills Curley's wife, George knows this is the end for Lennie. Whatever happens, someone will kill Lennie sooner or later. And if Lennie escapes this time, there will be another time, and eventually the inevitable will happen. He really loves Lennie, so he shoots Lennie painlessly in the back of the head. Lennie dies with the happy thought of the dream of the farm they would like to own one day.