George and Lennie's dream of owning a farm

George and Lennie travel through California in search of a job. They had to flee from their last job after a misunderstanding between Lennie and a woman led to him being accused of assaulting her. It's incredibly apparent that George and Lennie are both working-class since their only possessions are on their backs. Even though they don't have much, they have big dreams. Throughout the entire novel, both George and Lennie express their dreams for the future. After working hard, they intend to buy a house (and farmland). While George's motivation for this seems to be a desire for self-reliance, Lennie dreams of tending to animals on the farm. This motivation drives them to work hard. Even after Lennie accidentally murders Curley's wife, this dream motivates him to escape and serves as his primary motivation up until the moment that he dies.

[P1] George and Lennie are working-class men who hope to own a farm someday. [P2] George wants to own a farm so that he can be independent. [P3] Lennie wants to own a farm because he loves looking after animals. [P4] Their desire to pursue this dream motivates their actions throughout the novel.