Of Mice and Men' is a novel written by John Steinbeck in 1937. It tells the story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who travel together in search of work during the Great Depression in California. The title of the novel refers to a line from Robert Burns' poem 'To a Mouse', which reads, 'The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley'. This phrase alludes to the inevitable failure of even the most carefully made plans.