Is this quote from Of Mice and Men an example of direct or indirect characterisation? "He ain't mean. But he gets into trouble alla time because...

Direct characterization involves a direct statement or
statements that give the writer's opinion of the character.  For instance, in his short
story "The Necklace," Guy de Maupassant begins,

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She was one of those pretty and charming girls,
born as if by an accident of fate, into a family of
clerks.

This statement is
clearly the writer's opinion of the character of Madame Loisel as he is the omniscient
narrator in this story.

Now, in John Steinbeck's Of Mice
and Men, Steinbeck employs indirect characterization throughout his novel as he develops
his characters with these methods:

1. through
   physical descriptions of the characters


2. through the
   characters' actions


3. throught the characters' thoughts
   feelings, and speeches


4. throught the comments and reations
   of other characters

The last method (4) is the
one used to describe Lennie Small.  It is George Milton, his companion, who speaks of
Lennie, not the writer.  In this line from Chapter 3 of Steinbeck's novella, George
converses with Slim, in answer to his "invitation to confidence."  When Slim asks why
George and Lennie "go around together," George explains that after Lennie's aunt died,
he became Lennie's caretaker because they were accustomed to each other.  Then,
they discuss how men who are alone and alienated become mean.  Slim remarks that he can
tell that Lennie is not mean, and George then reveals that although Lennie is not mean,
he is mentally challenged.  Because exchange of ideas and description of Lennie is all
developed through George and Slim's conversation, it is considered indirect
characterization.