George is a good guy with a good heart, but he has developed a hard edge, likely due to tough times. He is occasionally mean to Lennie, complaining about everything he misses out on by having to travel with this guy as baggage. Still, it’s clear he enjoys Lennie’s company, as he’s quick to comfort and assure him. He even shares this great big dream of the two of them having a ranch together.

Although George is all mother hen around Lennie, he can be rather gruff with outsiders. He’s suspicious of nearly everyone, except Slim, and seems to take his time warming up to people. This general distrust puts George’s relationship with Lennie in even greater contrast – it’s pretty extraordinary that George has opened up, and though he doesn’t run around declaring that he’s BFF with Lennie, it’s pretty clear that his gruff affection is more than anyone else will ever get.

George doesn’t exactly spend the whole book declaring much of anything about himself. But his final act in the novella reveals that he has a clear sense of right and wrong – and that he truly loves Lennie. Unfortunately, that love requires the execution-style murder of his friend.

George’s murder of Lennie is in some ways a renunciation of George’s own happiness. We know from George’s own admission that Lennie gives him hope. With the dream farm, but even just within their friendship, Lennie gives George a place to belong and a reason to belong there. George chooses to take Lennie’s life in order to protect him from an awful fate, but in killing him, George also sacrifices his own dreams and happiness for the sake of his friend’s comfort. Thus George is a special kind of character – a hard-talking, straight-shooting guy with a heart of gold. And a need for friendship.
George and Lennie spend the night by the Salinas River in northern California. They argue over Lennie’s mouse and obsession with soft things, and discuss their dreams of a farm they can own.
George reminds Lennie to come back to this exact spot if he does something "bad."
George takes Lennie to the new ranch near Soledad, California after they flee their last job in Weed, where Lennie caused his usual type of trouble – that is, petting.
George warns Lennie not to talk to Curley, Curley’s wife, or the boss. In other words, Lennie is to keep his big mouth shut around everyone.
George gets one of Slim’s puppies for Lennie.
George tells Slim about the girl in Weed.
He recounts the farm-dream story to Lennie.
George agrees that Candy can join them in their future ranch endeavor if he contributes three hundred dollars.
George tells Lennie to fight back when Curley attacks him.
George goes to the (cheap and clean-ish) local whorehouse.
George comes back and discovers that Crooks now knows about the dream farm.
George plays horseshoes with all the other men except for Lennie, who’s in the barn petting and eventually killing Curley’s wife.
George finds out from Candy what Lennie has done.
George is conflicted about what to do with Lennie (who has run off to their hiding spot by the river). He doesn’t want to have Lennie locked up like "an animal," but he doesn’t want Curley to shoot Lennie in the guts, either.
George and Candy realize that the dream of the farm is over.
George secretly steals Carlson’s gun and tells the men that Lennie has gone south.
George goes north to the river and finds Lennie.
George tells Lennie the story of the dream farm again.
While George is narrating, he shoots Lennie in the back of the head.
When the other men arrive, George pretends that Lennie had Carlson’s gun.
George goes off for a (very stiff) drink with Slim.