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All the ranch hands had dreams, but they realized that there was no real hope and the possibilities for success were little to none. Violence was a common theme at the ranch physically, emotionally, and psychologically. This is brought out through the depiction of women as well as the physical violence that occurred. Women in this story can only be seen as as prostitutes or as Curley's wife. Throughout the story she is shown as a cause of trouble. She also was not even given a name, but instead only referred to her as Curley's wife. This can be viewed as emotional or even psychological violence. It is used to show readers the connection of the mistreatment of women during this time (the great depression.) The physical violence that occurred in this story is seen as an outlet for the little hope that was seen at the ranch. The story takes place during a time of despair. Stienbeck uses the violence at the ranch to show readers the grim reality of life during this time. There was no hope for any of the ranch hands, so instead they turned their attention to ending the others dreams. This point is really brought out with Lennie. The ranch hands knew that Lennie had no real concept of social rules. All the others knew that their dreams were a source of false hope, but Lennie truly believed in his dream. The men were accustomed to failure as a result of the time the story took place, but they weren't afraid to abuse the dream that Lennie truly believed in. The violence that occurs at the ranch is a result of the time period. Stienbeck uses it to depict for readers the grim reality of the great
