To a large extent "of Mice and Men" relates to the poem "Yet each man kills the thing he loves" as the poem tells us of people killing the thing they love when throughout the novel the main characters, in one way or another kill someone or thing close to them.

After Lennie gets accidentally kills Curly's wife George knows exactly where he will go so George meets him there and finally kills him cleanly with a gun to the back of his head so that Curly, enraged and feeling vengeful, can't torture and kill Lennie slowly. That is how much George loved Lennie.

Another part of the story is Lennie receiving a puppy by one of the other workers on the property, Slim. Because Lennie is on the slow side and loves to pet soft things, doesn't know is own strength and, after trying to discipline the...