Slim
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George Milton
Quote 7
Slim came directly to George and sat down beside him, sat very close to him. "Never you mind," said Slim. "A guy got to sometimes." (6.96)
Tack on another role for Slim: priest. He's essentially absolving George of the sin of murder here, saying that it was the right—i.e., the just—thing to do.
Slim
Quote 8
"She slang her pups last night," said Slim. "Nine of ‘em. I drowned four of ‘em right off. She couldn’t feed that many." (2.186)
Slim doesn't sentimentalize the natural world. He knows that the dog can't nurse nine puppies, so he kills five of them to save the others. There's no moral lesson here, unless it's that a man's "gotta," sometimes.