When the men go into town for the evening, Lennie sees Crooks's light on and goes in for some company. Lennie tells Crooks about George's plan to buy a house, plant a garden, and have rabbits. After a little further discussion, Crooks realizes that he's not talking to an adult, but a child. One observation Crooks makes is as follows:
"Sometimes he talks, and you don't know what the hell he's talkin' about. Ain't that so? . . . Jus' talks on, an' you don't know what the hell it's about" (70).
Lennie admits that Crooks is right. Crooks then makes a parallel from Lennie's situation to his. He tells Lennie that while he was growing up, his was the only colored family around. No one would listen to the things he had to say because he was black. Then, with his back being disabled and crooked like it is, people seemed to look down on Crooks even more. Once Crooks makes this connection between his life and Lennie's, he gets very excited for figuring out the next part of the observation, which is as follows:
"George can tell you screwy things, and it don't matter. It's just the talking. It's just bein' with another guy. That's all" (71).
Crooks believes he has unlocked the mystery to George and Lennie. Normally, men don't look after each other in their line of work. But Crooks figures out that George stays with Lennie simply for the company. Crooks knows first hand that the life these men lead can be very lonely; therefore, he realizes that George has the upper-hand in the friendship and Lennie is kept merely for company.
Once Crooks figures all of this out, he also becomes excited because he knows he can mess with Lennie's mind and play a joke on him. This is when he taunts Lennie with wondering what he would do if George never came back for him. It backfires a bit because Lennie gets very confused and very angry. Crooks has a fun time teasing Lennie, though, anyway.
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