Why does Crooks say people at the ranch don't like him?

Crooks, the stable hand in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," believes that the other ranch workers don't like him primarily because of his race. As a Black man living in a segregated society, he faces discrimination and isolation, which fosters a sense of bitterness and loneliness. He expresses that the men avoid him and make him feel unwelcome, reflecting the pervasive racism and social hierarchy of the time. This leads him to crave companionship, even as he acknowledges the barriers that keep him apart from others.