Lennie is as innocent as a child and he has the mind of a child. He has nothing but good intentions. The problem is that he is very simple-minded and he has awkward social skills. He also has the tendency to lose control of himself in tense or anxious situations. Lennie is also freakishly strong. In situations where Lennie feels tense or under attack, that strength becomes a dangerous weapon. This occurs when he crushes Curley's hand and when he smothers and breaks the neck of Curley's wife.
Even though Lennie has the potential to be very destructive, he has no ill intentions. So, he is innocent in that sense. Lennie loves to pet small animals, but his love combined with his abnormal strength usually results in a dead animal. Lennie is described like an animal. In the opening paragraphs, George is portrayed as being small and quick. Lennie is George's opposite:
Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, and wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.
Lennie has George to protect him. But without George, Lennie would have trouble finding a place in society. In this sense, he is an outcast. Other outcasts in the novel are Candy (who is too old to be useful), Curley's wife (who has missed opportunities), and Crooks (who is ostracized because of his race). Lennie's innocent but destructive ways escalate and increase the possibility of him becoming an outcast.
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