When Lennie explains that he likes to pet soft things, Curley's wife reveals that she too likes to feel silk and velvet, and she invites him to feel her hair, which is very soft. He does, but his big, clumsy fingers start to mess it up, and she angrily tells him to let go. As she tries to get her hair away from Lennie, he becomes scared and holds on more tightly. When she begins to scream, Lennie covers her mouth with his hand. A struggle ensues — Lennie panicking and Curley's wife's eyes "wild with terror" — until her body flops "like a fish" and then she is still.
When Lennie realizes that she is dead, he panics and paws the hay to partially cover her. Hearing the horseshoe game outside, he understands that someone will come in sooner or later and discover the bad thing he has done. Immediately he remembers to hide in the brush until George comes. Picking up the dead pup, he leaves to go to the hiding place.
Candy finds Curley's wife and runs out to find George, who, upon seeing the body, knows what happened. George considers what will happen to Lennie: They could lock Lennie up, but he'd starve, and people would be mean to him. Candy says they need to let Lennie get away because Curley will lynch him, but George realizes how hopeless escape would be. He tells Candy to give him a minute to go to the bunkhouse before telling the other men; then George will come along as though he had not already seen Curley's wife.
