Crooks is the black stable-hand who gets his name from his crooked back. Crooks is a very lonely man. He is the only black man on the ranch and is segregated the others. All Crooks wants to do is to sit and play cards in the bunkhouse with the other men. However, because Crooks is black, he is not aloud into the bunkhouse. He wants to feel like he belongs. Lennie finds Crooks one night in his room and after Crooks plays a joke on Lennie, he threatens Crooks physically. At that point, Crooks realizes that Lennie is slow and thinks like a child. Crooks then invites Lennie to stay and Crooks for one night is not lonely. This incident leads Crooks to become part of George and Lennie's dream of buying a farm.