Child like inteligence

p 12

"No - look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ’Cause'. I want you to stay
with me. Trouble with mice is you always kill ’em." He paused.
"Tell you what I’ll do, Lennie. First chance I get I'll give you a pup.
Maybe you wouldn’t killit. That’d be better than. mice. And you
could pet it harder."
 Lennie avoided the bait. He had sensed his advantage, "If you
don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those
hills right there - right up in those hills and live by myself. An’ I
won’t get no mice stole from me."