Flungle

Personally, I never interpreted Lennie and George's relationship to be even slightly similar to "father and son." Labeling it father and son seems like a gross misinterpretation of their dynamic.

Lennie is dependent on George, not because George acts like a father, but because Lennie is a high support needs neurodivergent man who ended up attaching himself to (possibly his only) friend. Referring to what's a codependent, or caretaker type relationship, as a family dynamic feels inappropriate. Neurodivergent people with high support needs exist, and some of them do need mild support from another person, and some of them do need an active caretaker. Basically what I'm saying is that these caretaker relationships are NOT always adjacent to family dynamics.

While George definitely takes on more of a caretaker role, he still relies on Lennie for a few things (companionship and work, lennie is strong and a damn good worker!). Lennie views George as his friend. George considers Lennie to be a friend. Taking into account their history is important as well, since George used to treat Lennie poorly. George played jokes on Lennie because he knew that Lennie was "too dumb" to dispute the jokes. George finally stopped playing these jokes on Lennie when he nearly endangered Lennie's life. While there's a lot more to be explored here, I think it's obviously not intended to be a fatherly dynamic lol..

As far as we know, the closest relationships Lennie had was with Aunt Clara and his friend George Milton. George knew Lennie via Aunt Clara and would get to know Lennie after Aunt Clara died by working alongside him. George didn't mention knowing Lennie when he was a kid or anything. I'm rambling on right now, but what I'm saying is that their history is NOT one that indicates a parent-child bond. Hell, even the IDEA of a family dynamic is subtly challenged by Lennie when he expressed confusion about George lying and calling him his cousin. Lennie knows that him and George aren't related, nor does he entertain the idea.

Plus, George says, and I'm quoting straight from the book, "'...that was a lie. An’ I’m damn glad it was. If I was a relative of yours I’d shoot myself.'"

I feel that a lot of people mistakenly believe Lennie to be completely unaware and infant-like, which is where a lot of the debates about ethically dating a neurodivergent guy comes from. People treat Lennie like he doesn't know anything going on around him, even though it's pretty much made clear near the end of the book (with Lennie's visions of the rabbits and Aunt Clara) that shows Lennie is aware of his shortcomings and is troubled by it.

Neurodivergent people aren't always unaware that they are disabled. Lennie can recognize that he experiences setbacks for some reason, and he does get frustrated with how he is treated by rude people (as seen in his interactions with curley) and how people and animals react to him (such as women reacting with fear or animals biting). Lennie feels a need to express his point of view by constantly reassuring that he means no harm, and unintentionally causes harm when trying to make his point.

As for Lennie acting child-like, I really do think that's just a way his neurodivergent brain presents itself. I have autism and I can act childish myself at times, but from my POV I don't see it as childish. In those moments I'm not thinking about how I'm acting childish, it's just more like a "natural" thing for me... although I do realize a while later how other people could've seen that as child-like behavior. Nonetheless, I'm still an adult.

There is a tendency with people who have certain neurodivergent conditions to act in traditionally childish ways, but I urge people to recognize that when a neurodivergent person acts child-like it doesn't mean they ARE a child.

Tldr; Lennie is a neurodivergent adult with high support needs and George is his best (and only) friend who acts as his caretaker. Lennie is not a child nor is he like a son to George.