As Mark Twain once said: "The more I know about people, the more I love my dog." » This sentiment is often echoed by society in general; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic view of "the perfectibility of man" by suggesting how man can improve himself. In his novel Of Mice and Men, two tenants named George and Lennie go through many trials while pursuing their dream of owning their own farm. While working on a farm, they meet an old swamp girl called Candy who offers to help them realize their dream; he does this to ensure that he will have a future after being fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy talks about the recent death of her dog and asks to join George and Lennie's dream. Through this passage, Steinbeck proves that humans have an animalistic tendency to eliminate those who are weaker than themselves. This is depicted through the details connecting Candy to her dog as well as Candy's diction when describing her potential future life. Steinbeck's negative attitude towards the predatory nature of man implies that society must improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring. Steinbeck connects Candy to her dog in order to suggest that humans have created a society in which the weak cannot survive. Earlier in the book, Candy describes her dog as "the best fucking sheepdog I've ever seen" (Steinbeck 44). However, in lines 9 and 10, Candy reiterates that the other workers shot his dog because "he was no good to himself or anyone else." Once the dog loses its usefulness by becoming old and blind, the other tenants band together to ensure its death, suggesting how society unites to get rid of those who are weak. Steinbeck then links Ca...... middle of paper ......andy flirts with independence, society acted in the same animalistic manner expected of it. Through this treatment of Candy, Steinbeck exposes the failures and inhumanity of humanity. He does not do this out of disgust for humanity, but rather because he believes in the "perfectibility of man". However, it reminds us that we, as humans, have the power to destroy as well as the power to perfect. After all, only “man himself [is] our greatest danger and our only hope” (“John Steinbeck – Banquet Speech”). Works Cited Burns, Robert. “To a mouse.” » Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets, Inc., nd Web. 14 Nov. 2013."John Steinbeck - Banquet Speech". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. web. November 14, 2013.speech_en.html>Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.