Farmhands George and Lennie decide to strike it out on their own - a decision George is sure to regret by the end of this novella, which touches on dark, dismal themes such as euthanasia, murder, and the treatment of women and the mentally handicapped; it is by no reason an easy read, thematically speaking. Steinbeck's prose is lovely and the story is compelling and realistic (sadly). 
 I didn't love how Steinbeck treated Curley's wife. First off, she has no name. Her name is derived wholly from her husband. She has no identity without him. The novella shames her time and time again, calling her a tart, no good, trouble, etc. At every turn she's dehumanized. Maybe Steinbeck was sexist. Maybe he wanted his readers to draw parallels between (view spoiler)[the treatment of women and the treatment of mentally handicapped - though George does his best to look out for Lennie, he's constantly asked why he bothers to do so. Maybe there's a connection between the fact that both Lennie and Curley's wife end up dead? (hide spoiler)] Perhaps this is worth a re-read for that reason alone.