Main idea: Steinbeck never gives a single explicit sentence that explains exactly why Curley’s wife married Curley, but chapter 5 (especially her conversation with Lennie) gives several strong clues. Reading those clues together lets us reasonably infer that she married him because of loneliness, limited options for young women, the promise of status/security, and because she wanted an escape from her small-town life and failed Hollywood hopes.
- She was lonely and wanted attention. In chapter 5 she speaks openly about being lonely and about how men on the ranch ignore her. Her constant need to talk to the ranch workers and to be noticed suggests she accepted Curley’s attention because it made her feel noticed and less invisible.
- She had dreams that were never fulfilled. She tells Lennie she once had hopes of being in the movies. Those unrealised dreams make it plausible she married Curley as a practical alternative — a way out of her life that prevented her from pursuing acting.
- Marriage offered security and status. Curley is the boss’s son; marriage to him would bring material comfort, social standing, and protection in a time (the Great Depression era) when women had few economic options. That practical pull would be strong even if the emotional match was poor.
- Her marriage feels like a trap. Her comments show she does not like Curley and that he is jealous and controlling. The relationship appears constraining rather than supportive, which supports the idea she married for reasons other than love (escape, security, or because she was persuaded/pressured).
- Social and historical context matters. In the 1930s, women on the margins had limited careers and independence. Steinbeck shows how social limits push characters into pragmatic choices. That background helps explain why a young woman with dreams might choose marriage to someone like Curley.
Conclusion: In chapter 5 we can infer Curley’s wife married Curley largely because of loneliness, limited options, the promise of status/security, and as a seeming escape from her small-town life and failed hopes of stardom. Those factors also explain her restless, attention-seeking behaviour on the ranch and her profound unhappiness.
If you want, I can point to specific lines in chapter 5 to support each point (without copying long copyrighted passages) or show how this reading fits with Steinbeck’s themes of loneliness and shattered dreams.