Set in California during the Great Depression, Of Mice and Men is the tragic story of two displaced ranch workers traveling from place to place and job to job as a result of the economic recession. The unlikely friends are united by their dream of someday settling down on their own piece of land and finding a better life. We watch as George and Lennie flee the scene of a terrible misunderstanding and move on to face a world marked by loneliness, misunderstanding, and callousness. Though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal: it is friendship and a shared dream that make life meaningful.