What does Steinbeck say about loneliness in Of Mice and Men?

In
, Steinbeck ties loneliness to capitalism. Because the migrant ranch hands
have to travel from job to job to survive, they are never able to put down roots and develop a
real community. They are atomized individuals at the mercy of a system that only sees them as a
means to profit.

Steinbeck shows how stripped down and depersonalized the
bunkhouse is, designed as a temporary way station for men who are meant to move on after the
harvest. Because the men don't develop friendships or have a place that feels like home, they
tend to spend their earnings on drinking and prostitutes, which keeps them dependent on their
migrant jobs because they have no savings.

and's dream of owning a farm is
deeply appealing to the ranch hands precisely because it represents a place they could
put...