"Crooks, the nego stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn. On one side of the little room there was a square four-paned window, and on the other, a narrow plank door leading into the barn. Crooks' bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung. On the wall by the window there were pegs on which hung broken harness in process of being mended; strips of new leather; and under the window itself a little bench for leather-working tools, curved knives and needles and balls of linen thread, and a small hand riveter. On pegs were also pieces of harness, a split collar with the horsehair stuffing sticking out, a broken hame, and a trace chain with its leather covering split. Crooks had his apple box over his bunk, and in it a range of medicine bottles, both for himself and for the horses" (Steinbeck 104).
Crooks's room is practically in the barn and is described as a "little shed". In fact, "little" and "small" are often used to describe his room. Within the small room he calls his, he also has many items related to his tending to the horses. He even has medicine that he is to share with the horses. This, to the reader, can show how taking care of the horses takes a large part in Crooks's life on the ranch.
Within Chapter 4, the horses often move uneasily when someone enters the barn. Considering how Crooks is the main caretaker for the horses, the relationship between Crooks and the horses is alluded to.