Chapter 1; What do the rabbits represent and why does the author bring them up in the book?

The rabbits are symbolic in two different ways. First, they symbolize innocence.... Lennie's love of soft things, his dreams for the future, the opportunity to care for something he loves. Secondly, the rabbits symbolize Lennie's weakness..... his loss of innocence, as soft things and his desire to touch soft things leads to his doom.