Betrayal as a theme starts early in the novel. In Chapter
1 the two men are conned into walking miles to the ranch by the lazy bus
driver-
Kicks
us out and says, ‘Jes’ a little stretch down the road.’ I bet it was
more than four miles. Damn hot
day.
George clarifies the
last time he betrayed Lennie in Chapter 3:
One day a bunch of guys was standin’ around up on
the Sacramento River. I was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says ‘Jump in.’
An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An’
he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump
in.
Curley’s wife was also
betrayed, either by the man in the dance hall, or her overzealous
mother:
…he
was in pitchers. Went to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. Says he was gonna put me
in the movies. Says I was a
natural.
Curley’s wife never
received a latter from Hollywood, and married Curley, who she met at the same dance
hall.
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