george refuses to let lennie have a puppy.

Question

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Answer 1

Are you asking why he won't let him have the puppy? George knows that Lennie is capable of violence, and that he isn't aware of his own strength. This is shown when Lennie accidentally kills the pet mice that George sometime let him have, by "petting them too hard." We also hear about the incident in Weed where Lennie grabbed a woman's dress, because he liked how the fabric felt, and refused to let go of it. This is what led George and Lennie to have to leave Weed to find a new place to work. George can see that Lennie would love to have the companionship of an animal, but he's hesitant to give Lennie something small and helpless.