Lennie and his Mice

In part one in the novel, Of Mice and Men, I noticed how Lennie has a strong bond with mice. I think that Lennie likes mice because they are living animals that don't judge him for his mental disability. So far in the novel, I have noticed that George is constantly complaining about Lennie and how he could be very successful without him. He says things like "God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy" right in front of Lennie. George may think that he doesn't have as many feelings since he is mentally disabled, but how Lennie cares for the mice (even the dead ones!) shows to me that he has true emotions. Lennie enjoyed stroking the dead mouse in his pocket during their journey and later towards the evening he explained how he would take care of live mice that his Aunt Clara gave to him. He also dreams of having pet rabbits and maybe a dog to take care of and pet. Lennie's strong love for animals (especially mice) portrays how he appreciates the company of an animal that doesn't judge him for who he is. I think that John Steinbeck used the relationship that Lennie has with animals to show how judging people who are different is not okay.