Of Mice and Men chapters 1-2: Lennie and George

Since this is the beginning of the novel, the relationship between Lennie and George is not very clearly defined yet.  It is very obvious that Lennie has some form of mental retardation, but the severity of said handicap is not yet apparent.  This definitely has a large impact on their relationship.
     "When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts. I never get no peace." (Men, 13)  Lennie is clearly a burden on George in more than a few ways.  George and Lennie consider themselves ranchers, moving form one location to the other, slowly building up a 'stake', spending it all in a local town, and moving on to the next ranch.  They never live anywhere for very long.  George partially attributes this to Lennie and the number of mistakes he makes. "You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get.  An' that ain't the worst. You get me in trouble.  You do bad things and I got to get you out." (Men, 12)  Lennie's mental problems cause him to make major mistakes at his job and lose it, so he has to keep travelling.  Apparently he also gets in a lot of trouble, since he is not informed of some basic social graces. "Jus' wanted to feel that girl's dress-jus' wanted to pet it like it was a mouse- Well, how the hell did she know you jus' wanted to feel her dress?" (Men, 12)
     He thoroughly enjoys kinesthetic feedback, such as touching different materials.  Lennie specifically enjoys petting mice, considering how soft they are.  I did a little outside research and found that Lennie displays many of the symptoms of adult autism. (webmd.com) Some significant symptoms Lennie displays include obsessive habits, significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills, and relying on others heavily.

"Autism-Symptoms." Web MD. 12 Apr. 2010. Web.