As Mark Twain once stated, "The more I know people, the better I like my dog." This sentiment is often echoed by society at large; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic view of the “perfectibility of man” by suggesting how man can improve. In his novel Of Mice and Men, two tenants called George and Lennie go through many hardships as they pursue their dream of owning their own farm. While working on a farm, they meet an old swamp woman called Candy who offers to help them realize their dream; he does this to ensure that he will have a future after being fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy discusses the recent death of her dog and asks to join George and Lennie's dream. Through this passage Steinbeck demonstrates that humans have an animalistic tendency to eliminate those who are weaker than them. This is represented through the details that connect Candy to her dog and Candy's diction when describing her potential future life. Steinbeck's negative attitude towards man's predatory nature implies that society must improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring. Steinbeck connects Candy with his dog to suggest that humans have created a society where the weak cannot survive. Early in the book, Candy describes her dog as the “best damn sheepdog I ever saw” (Steinbeck 44). However, in lines 9 and 10, Candy reiterates that the other workers shot his dog because he was "no good to himself or anyone else." As the dog loses its usefulness by becoming old and blind, the other tenants band together to ensure its death, suggesting how society comes together to get rid of those who are weak. Steinbeck then connects Ca... middle of paper ......Andy's flirtation with independence, society acted in the same animalistic manner expected of her. Through this treatment of Candy, Steinbeck lays bare humanity's failures and inhumanity. He does so not out of disgust with humanity, but rather because he believes in the “perfectibility of man.” However, it reminds us that we, as human beings, have the power to destroy as well as the power to perfect. After all, only "Man himself [is] our greatest danger and our only hope" ("John Steinbeck - Banquet Speech"). Works CitedBurns, Robert. "To a mouse." Poet.org. The Academy of American Poets, Inc., nd Web. November 14, 2013."John Steinbeck - Banquet Speech." Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 14 November 2013.speech_en.html>Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.