In the first chapter of Of Mice and Men, what does George say to Lennie about how his life could be better without him?

As the story opens, we are introduced to the curious
relationship between George and Lennie and we see how dependent Lennie is upon George
through his inability to look after himself and his child-like nature. As George
continues to berate Lennie for his stupidity and the difficulty he has in remembering
things, George begins to dream of the kind of life that he could have if he didn't have
to look after Lennie. Note what he says:

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"God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so
easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of
the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want.
Why, I could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any
place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn
month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot
pool."

The important thing to
note in this novel, however, is that in spite of how George dreams of what life would be
like if he didn't have to look after Lennie, the friendship that they have sustains them
both. When they get to the farm and meet the isolated and lonely characters that they
live alongside for a while, it is clear that friendship is a blessing in the bleak world
that Steinbeck creates for us, even when that friendship involves so much trouble for
George.