The novel is definitely the superior of the two when it comes to expressing the main theme of the entire story: loneliness. Although the film also includes the theme of loneliness, the novel better shows the importance of such a fundamental theme. All the characters struggle with loneliness in one way or another. An example of loneliness shown would be Curley's wife. Although she is a flirtatious woman and is described as a "tramp" by the men on the ranch, she suffers from loneliness due to her husband's powerful control and restrictions. In fact, when she has a nice conversation with Lennie in the barn, she says “I'm telling you, I'm not used to living like this. I could have done something for myself” (Steinbeck 88). Not only is Curley's wife held on the ranch with all the men, but she is not even allowed to communicate with any of them. He shows that he has strong hope for his future, even if it is a lot