In Chapter Four, most of the men on the ranch have gone into Soledad on a Saturday night, leaving behind Lennie, Crooks and Candy. Because he has seen Crooks's light in the barn, Lennie enters the black man's room. Crooks is hesitant to let Lennie in but soon warms to the company. Candy, who has been "figuring" about Lennie's rabbits, also enters the room, and the conversation turns to the farm which George, Lennie and Candy plan to buy, mostly with money contributed by Candy, who received money when he lost his hand in a ranch accident. Crooks is critical of the idea and believes that, although the men will talk "about it a hell of a lot," they will never realize the dream. He claims that he has seen many men with the same idea, but that a "whorehouse" or a "blackjack game" always separated the men from their money. When Candy insists that they actually have the money to get the farm started, Crooks questions where George is, thinking that he is in Soledad spending the men's money in a whorehouse:
“An’ where’s George now? In town in a whorehouse. That’s where your money’s goin’. Jesus, I seen it happen too many times. I seen too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand.”
Actually Candy has the money safe and George has said he would only go into town to have a shot of whiskey and not a "flop." Crooks eventually believes Candy and even proposes to go along with the men to the farm to "lend a hand." In the end, however, Crooks withdraws his offer after a racist incident with Curley's wife.
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