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Why was George so apprehensive when Candy asked about their dream?

In Chapter Three of Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, just after Candy's dog is killed and the other laborers have gone to the barn to see if Curley and Slim will fight, Lennie prods George into talking about their dream of owning a little farm. It is basically the same story George tells in Chapter One, except this time George is interrupted by Candy, who has been quietly lying on his bunk in the aftermath of his dog's death. George is immediately on his guard after Candy asks, "You know where's a place like that?" George is already apprehensive about working on the ranch because of encounters in Chapter Two with Curley and Curley's wife. For George and Lennie, life has been difficult. During their last job, they had to run and hide in an irrigation ditch in order to escape an angry mob of men who were upset that Lennie grabbed a girl's dress. George is ultimately worried that he and Lennie will get "canned" from this job just as he is desperately trying to put together enough money to buy the farm of his dreams. He is suspicious of Candy's intentions, but soon warms to the old swamper who quickly offers to contribute money to the project when George tells him about a farm they can purchase for $600. His suspicion of Candy gone, George agrees to Candy's idea that the three men go in together on the farm:



"We'll do her," he said. "We'll fix up that little old place an' we'll go live there." He sat down again. They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about.



Unfortunately, the bliss of the men is short-lived when Curley goads Lennie into a fight and the difficulty and harshness of life returns. George is again apprehensive after the fight, fearing he and Lennie will be fired because Lennie has crushed Curley's hand. While Slim is able to smooth things over this time, later events put the dream to an end.

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