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In John Steinbeck's book Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George travel together. There is a part in the book where George explains to someone that he...

This occurs at the beginning of Chapter 3. Slim and George are talking. Slim notes that it is "funny" that two men (George and Lennie) travel together. He says this because most of these itinerant ranchers and workers travel alone, from job to job. George defends their partnership/friendship and defends Lennie as well. Slim means no real offense here. He simply notes how it is rare that two men travel together. Then George describes his history with Lennie. 


When Lennie's Aunt Clara, his caretaker died, Lennie started working with George and they became friends. George confesses that at the beginning of their friendship, he used to play tricks on Lennie and even beat him up. 



Why he’d do any damn thing I tol’ him. If I tol’ him to walk over a cliff, over he’d go. 



George could do whatever he wanted to Lennie and Lennie would never retaliate. George adds the story of how Lennie almost drowned: 



One day a bunch of guys was standin’ around up on the Sacramento River. I was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain’t done nothing like that no more. 



From that point on, George would become Lennie's protector as well as his friend. After this incident, whenever George would scold Lennie, he was simply trying to keep him out of trouble. 

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