In the beginning of the story, two men named George Milton and Lennie Small are trying to make their way to a small ranch in Salinas Valley, California. George is the leader of their two-man tribe, despite Lennies intimidating size. George is filled with Determination and confidence while Lennie is a simple man with a big heart.
Up north, they had recently been run out of a town called Weed on account of Lennie. First of all, Lennie is not very smart, and becomes frightened and confused easily. Also, he enjoys petting animals and feeling things that grab his attention. One night in Weed, Lennie and George had gone to a pool hall.
Lennie saw a girl wearing a bright red dress. He grabbed onto the sleeve of her dress. The girl became scared and screamed; this frightened Lennie. He did not know what to do so he held on to the dress tighter. The next day, George found out that the girl went to the police and pressed charges against Lennie.
The police were all over town looking for him. George and Lennie escaped by hiding in an irrigation ditch until nightfall and then leaving town. After that, they hitchhiked all the way to Salinas Valley, California where the story really starts getting juicy.
