Although dreams are important to have, they do not always come true due to circumstantial inconveniences. Steinbeck reflects this idea through the dreams of Curley's wife, George, and Candy. All their dreams served to motivate them in life, but they had an unattainable quality and ended tragically. Curley's wife's dream did not end the way she wanted, due to the circumstances involved. When Curley's wife was in the barn with Lennie, she vented about the dissatisfaction she had with her life after a missed opportunity. Her words flowed into a communicative passion: "I'm not used to living like this." I could have done something of my own... I lived right in Salinas... Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show came on and I met one of the actors. He says I could join that show. But my old lady wouldn't let me. She says because I was only fifteen, but boy says I could have. If I had gone, I wouldn't be living like this, you bet... I could have been at the movies and had nice clothes-'” (88-89) Steinbeck's decision to depersonalize Curley's wife as much as he did and kill his wife of Curley after she revealed herself as a real person really added to the story. Readers sympathize with Curley's wife when they realize that she was not always a bitter and mean person, but that she had hopes and dreams, along with the other characters in the novel. He clearly regretted the life he lived and constantly thought about what he “could” have been or “could” have done. He wanted to leave behind his small town life with visions of luxury. Curley's wife felt stuck; her dream could not have been realized if she had not found freedom from her domineering husband, Curley. This tells the readers that being a star and becoming big was what he wanted...... middle of paper ......ndy would have a place to stay where no one could throw him out when he was deemed too old and without value from others. This was the best Candy could have done for himself; it would make him feel useful and he wouldn't have to live on the streets. Readers were hopeful for Candy's future, but her plan was ultimately flawed. Candy attributed the destruction of her dream to the accidental death of Curley's wife, which she knew would lead to the death of Lennie Smalls. Candy could probably have earned the rest of the money to invest in the farm, as she promised, but since Lennie killed Curley's wife, they could never have carried out the impractical plan. Ultimately, Candy's plan never came to fruition due to her age, disability and dire circumstances. Candy essentially has nothing left to hold on to other than the feeling of desperation that he is no closer to realizing his dreams.