CROOKS, the Negro 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 leatherworking 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 horsehairstuffing 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. There were cans of saddle soap and a drippy can of tar with its paint brush sticking over the edge. And scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men, and he had accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his back.
(Steinbeck 67)
This quotes shows us some of the mistreatment Crooks faces. He doesn't have a matress like the other men; just hay. And he sleeps beside the barn in a small shed; near the animals rather than near people. However, despite this we can see that he has still managed to turn this environment into a decent room. We can also see that he's messy, for no one comes to his room, and so he has no need to tidy up. This messiness indicates that he is lonely and seldom ever gets company. We also know that he is "permanent" here, which tells us he's almost stuck. He has nowhere and no one else to turn to.