In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, how does Candy show loneliness?

In s
novel , Candy is a sad, lonely figure whose most important companion in
life is an old, sickly dog that the other men in bunkhouse would rather was dead because of its
awful stench. The dog clearly means everything to Candy, and the constant complaints about the
dogs smell invariably meet with the same reply, such as occurs in the following exchange, in
which Carlson has just entered the bunkhouse after spending time outside playing
horseshoes:

"Damn right he is," said Carlson.
"He don't give nobody else a chance to win-" He stopped and sniffed the air, and still
sniffing, looked down at the old dog. "God awmighty, that dog stinks. Get him outa here,
Candy! I don't know nothing that stinks as bad as an old dog. You gotta get him
out."

Candy rolled to the edge of his bunk. He
reached over and patted the ancient dog, and he apologized, "I been around him so much I
never notice how he stinks." 

The importance of the dog to Candy is
evident right up until he finally succumbs to his coworkers complaints and allows them to shoot
the dog. The emotional trauma associated with the imminent loss of his closest companion is
noticeable in Candys being reduced to a near-catatonic state in which he seeks to shut out the
world to insulate him from his pain.  The following passage illuminates the old crippled mans
emotional pain at the loss of his beloved pet:

Slim said,
"Candy, you can have any one of them pups you want."

Candy did not
answer. The silence fell on the room again. It came out of the night and invaded the
room.

The door opened andand Carlson came in together. Lennie crept to his
bunk and sat down, trying not to attract attention. Carlson reached under his bunk and brought
out his bag. He didn't look at old Candy, who still faced the wall.

That the dog represented the only family Candy had is made further
evident in the passage during whichis discussing his and Lennies plans for a place of their own,
where theyre the boss.  Candy, anxious to join this hypothetical endeavor, appeals to George for
a place at the table: 

. . .I could cook and tend the
chickens and hoe the garden some. How'd that be?"

George half-closed his
eyes. "I gotta think about that. We was always gonna do it by ourselves."

Candy interrupted him, "I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I
kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives nor nothing.

Steinbeck makes clear that Candy is alone in the world, and that the old dog was all he
had to call his own.  In a story full of sadness and despair, Candy stands out as a lonely,
solitary figure.