“Then – it’s all off?” Candy asked sulkily. George didn’t answer his question. George said, “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some poolroom til ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.”
– John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men, Chapter 5. Candy’s greatest fear – that the dream of owning land with companions is over. For George the slice of the American Dream is definitely gone, as he looks forward to a life of cat houses and pool rooms.