Puzzle 4: Steinbeck

"Of Mice and Men" is a novella about migrant ranch workers, by John Steinbeck, published in 1937.

Steinbeck wanted to write a novel that could be played from its lines, or a play that could be read like a novel. The result was a story of around 30,000 words broken into three acts.

The title of the book comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse", which reads: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley". (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.)

Wikipedia: Of Mice and Men