The Effects of Loneliness
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/7/8/17788195/378673665.jpg)
During the time of the Great Depression lonesomeness was high as men traveled around the country searching for work. The loneliness of these men never allowed them to achieve their dreams and made them angry at the world. In Of Mice and Men George brings these effects of loneliness up in a conversation he has with Slim. "I seen guys that go around on ranches alone. That aint no good..." (Steinbeck 41). This quote shows show's that it is frequent for men to travel alone. It also show's how traveling alone always has a negative effect on a person. There are many different causes and reasons for these men to feel this loneliness. In Winifred l. Dusenbury's literary criticism she talks about one of the biggest causes of loneliness. "The dominant cause of George and Lennie's lonesomeness and that of all the ranch hands is lack of a home. George and Lennie's dream is:("Someday we're ganna get the jack together and we're ganna have a little house and a couple of achers and a cow and some pigs and...")" The literary criticism show's the root of all loneliness during this time was the lack of a home. This is because with out a home you do not have a place to belong. Not having a place to belong is a terrible thing because belonging to something is a basic human need. Being deprived from your basic human needs can have serious effects on a person’s health and psyche, thus causing depression, anger, suicide, and other life threatening consequences.