The Cause and the Loss: Comparison Between "Mice and Men" and "Flowers for Algernon" In the novel 'Of Mice and Men' (John Stienbeck) a mentally challenged man, Lenny, loses his innocence when he accidentally breaks a woman's neck. In the novel 'Flowers for Algernon' (Daniel Keyes) another mentally challenged man, Charlie, loses his innocence when, through the aid of an operation, he realizes all his life people were mocking him rather than being his friends. Although, in both cases innocence was the loss, their innocence was also the underlying cause of the loss. Lenny had a soft spot for petting animals and soft th