1- George clearly wanted to protect his childhood friend.

When he knew that Curley was

looking for Lennie because he accidentally killed his wife, he knew Curley won’t have
any mercy. I don’t think George meant to harm Lennie. On the contrary, George askes his
friend to visualize the future he would have with George and the rabbits. George didn’t
wanted Lennie to die unhappy or scared. He asked him to think about what makes him the
happiest before shooting him in the back of the neck to protect him from probably hours,
days, weeks, or even maybe months of torture. He knows that Lennie’s cycle of
unwillingly harming others can’t be break and it’s better if Lennie doesn’t have to live in
guilt and culpability anymore. On the other hand, Goerge isn’t someone who can decide
who deserve to live or die. Lennie clearly had a disability, probably ADHD due to his
unknowledge of social clues and his forgetfulness, and doesn’t have the support and
empathy that he needs to function like “normal” people. George kept bashing on this head
and guilt tripping him form the beginning of the book. He never actually showed support
or tried to help him, but he can decide if he can live or die ? This doesn’t sit right with me.

2- Even though Lennie’s brain capacity is limited, he shows the profile “inquirer” in many
different ways. For example, Lennie often asked A LOT of questions about his
surroundings and their life to George. Even their future life. For example, Lennie often
seeks clarification from George about their dream of owning a farm, asking detailed
questions about the animals they will keep and the different vegetable and plants they will
grow. He’s also always looking for understanding of situations, such as when George
asked him to not talk during the job interview. He automatically asks why, not
understanding, and what he should do instead. To finish, as a reminder, Lennie has some
memory problems, which makes him forget things, instruction, or explanations. His
forgetfulness didn’t decrease his curiosity, it fueled it. He always approached the situation
the same eagerness and excitement as if it was the first time anyone explained it to him.