Lenny's puppy is a symbol of weakness. The strong Lenny accidentally kills the puppy, showing that he is stronger than the puppy. In the end, though, Lenny himself ironically meets a similar fate because he is weak in another way - mentally. The mice that Lenny kills accidentally are also symbols of weakness, and the triumph of the strong over the weak. This is reflected in the title as well - "men" over "mice" - Of Mice and Men (which is taken from a poem by Robert Burns).
Candy's dog is another symbol of weakness. The dog has outlived its purpose as a sheep dog. The strong Carlson promises to kill the dog humanely because it has outlived its purpose and this symbolizes that Candy fears that some day soon, he, too, will no longer be needed on the ranch.
George and Lenny's dream "farm" is a symbol of delusion. The two men dream of a place that does not exist and never will exist for them. They delude themselves into thinking that they will have a farm some day, a place where they can live freely, but that place cannot exist for them in their world. On some level, George knows this, but he keeps pursuing the dream anyway, hence he is deluded.
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