John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" is a complex story about simple people. It deals with trust, respect and commitment as George and Lenny, an unlikely pair, find themselves cast into a conspiracy which would test the boundaries of their own human nature.

Lenny's simple, but often confused world is based around his trust of George, his protector, his companion, and his friend. In one situation, George tells one of the ranch hands that he and Lenny are "rollin' up a stake", and When asked if he would like to go down to the bar, George replies, "I might go in an' set an' have a shot, but I ain't puttin' out no two and a half", revealing that George does want to pursue his dream of owning a small plot of land with Lenny, instead of taking advantage of him and spending the money on gambling, beer and women, like so many others would do at the end of every month.

Sometimes, however, George is not as honest. During a meeting with the boss, George states that he and Lenny are cousins. When the two are in their bunkhouse, Lenny inverts "You said I was your cousin, George", to which George replies, "well, that was a lie", a clue that George's dishonesty may be what confuses Lenny the most. It is possible that a lack of communication between the two is what leads Lenny to lie to George. Lenny may be dependent on George and his decisions, but George not only doesn't trust Lenny's actions, he is almost always suspicious of what Lenny does. For instance, when Lenny sneaks a dog into the bunkhouse, and George says "I tol' you you couldn't bring that pup in here", Lenny's only reply is, "what pup, George? I ain't got no pup", demonstrating that Lenny has learned from being around George that it's okay to not always be trustworthy. George's decisions about when and where not to be truthful greatly affect Lenny's simple but often confusing version of reality.

Both George and Lenny are committed to each other's well being. In an encounter with the stable buck, who asks Lenny if he and George are both travelling together, Lenny replies by saying "Sure, me an' him goes ever' place together", a fair representation of how Lenny feels committed to George, and how even though George is always fighting and arguing with Lenny, there is still a love and a friendship that cannot be broken. When George is talking to Slim, he comments that Lenny is "A God damn nuisance most of the time... but you get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him", which strongly suggests that George feels attached to Lenny, and cares for his safety and livelihood, even if Lenny can be problematic.

Towards the end of the story George admits that "I got you an'" (Lenny interrupts and says) "An' you got me. We got each other". This quote, which is probably the most important gesture of commitment in the novel, shows that even though George knows that Lenny cannot live after what he has done, the fact that the words were spoken creates a realization that even though George had to kill his best friend, he did it because he trusted his judgement, he respected Lenny enough to save him from an even more terrible fate, and their friendship was a commitment that ran deeper than any other; a commitment not only of life but of death. Of Mice and of Men.

Lenny respects, above all else, George, but only because George is the only person who respects Lenny in return. Together they share an undeclared paradox. The two men respect one another, trust one another, and are committed to one another, but it is the flaws in these virtues that lead to an unstable relationship; a just cause that unfortunately did not have a sustainable future.