never talk to them when George is not there
George advises Lennie to stay away from Curley and not to get into any trouble with him. He emphasizes the importance of staying out of conflict and maintaining a low profile to avoid any potential problems.
The old swamper in "Of Mice and Men" describes Curley's wife as a troublemaker and dangerous due to her flirtatious behavior with the ranch workers. He warns George and Lennie to stay away from her to avoid getting into trouble with Curley.
In "Of Mice and Men," a swamper is a slang term for a janitor or a handyman who performs various cleaning and maintenance tasks on a ranch. The character Candy in the novel is an example of a swamper.
The swamper tells George that Curley wears a glove filled with vaseline on his left hand to keep it soft for his wife.
Candy greeted George and Lennie at the bunkhouse when they arrived on the ranch where they were hired to work. He was an old swamper who cleaned the bunkhouse.
The first person George and Lennie meet on the ranch is Candy, an old swamper who offers them information about the ranch and its workers.
The swamper tells George that Curley is a boxer and keeps his left hand closed and glove full of vaseline to keep it soft for his wife.
When Curley punches Lennie, Lennie doesn't initially retaliate. Instead, he looks to George for guidance on how to respond.
Curley wanted to fight George I think, so he picked on Lennie. He hit Lennie a couple times and then Lennie stopped a punch in mid-air and squeezed Curley fist and brokenit ending his boxing career. Then Lennie Lille Curleys wife and he runs away and George kills him. :)
George thinks he will probably be tangling with Curley because Curley is aggressive and constantly looking for a fight, especially with bigger guys like Lennie. George knows that Lennie's strength may provoke Curley, leading to a confrontation.
The old swamper is Candy, an elderly ranch hand with a missing hand. When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch, Candy tells them about the boss and the other workers, warns them about Curley's aggressive behavior, and shares some information about the ranch and its operations. He also mentions his aging dog, which becomes a significant part of the story later on.