George's Arrival and Reassurance

George Milton emerges from the brush, and the rabbit hallucination retreats into Lennie's mind. Lennie, on his knees, asks desperately if George will leave him, and George quietly says no. Lennie then confesses he has done 'another bad thing,' but George tells him it doesn't make any difference. The moment is heavy with unspoken tragedy; George's calm acceptance signals his understanding of what must be done. Their bond is reaffirmed even as the external world closes in, with shouts of men growing nearer.