Carlson The insensitive ranch hand who shoots Candy’s dog. He owns a Luger, which George later uses to mercifully kill Lennie.
Curley The son of the ranch owner, Curley is a mean little guy who picks fights with bigger guys like Lennie. He is recently married and extremely jealous of any man who looks at or talks with his wife. Lennie crushes his hand, earning Curley’s future enmity.
Curley’s wife The only character in the novel who is given no name, she is Curley’s possession. She taunts and provokes the ranch hands into talking with her, an action that causes Curley to beat them up. George sees her as a “tart,” but Lennie is fascinated by her soft hair and looks. She is unsympathetically portrayed as a female tease until the final scene, in which the reader hears about her earlier dreams. Lonely and restless, she married too quickly to a husband who neglects her.
