and Lennie reach the ranch and inspect the house where they will be staying. There they meet , the old , who is missing his and who is constantly followed by his old sheep . From Candy they learn about the previous tenant, the boss; the boss’s son, ; Curley’s ; and the buck, . While in the bunk house our protagonists also meet the boss, Curley, Curley’s wife, , and Carlson. When the boss meets George and Lennie, he thinks they are up to something because doesn’t let talk. talks his way out of it by making up an excuse for ’s mental deficiency and praising his ability to work. In this chapter we learn that is a mean little guy who was a and who is recently married. He doesn’t like right away, supposedly because is bigger than Curley. Curley’s wife is pretty and she is also a flirt. She shows this when she visits the bunkhouse with the excuse of searching for Curley. has a bad feeling about both Curley and his wife, and he tells to avoid them as much as possible. When the other ranchers return from the fields for dinner, Slim and enter the bunkhouse and introduce themselves. ’s dog just had a litter of puppies the night before. Carlson suggests that Slim give one of his puppies to so that they can get rid of the old dog who smells and has many health problems. During this discussion, Lennie gets excited and before going to dinner asks George to ask Slim for one of his pups. George and Lennie are supposed to join ’s team after dinner to return to the field and buck barley.