Do you believe Lennie was sincere in his offer to George to leave?

At the
beginning of the story,andare on their way to a ranch in the Salinas Valley to find more work.
They have been chased out of the town where they were previously working because Lennie touched
a girl's dress too enthusiastically. At this moment, George is frustrated because his life is so
much more difficult than it would be if he didn't have to look after Lennie. When Lennie
complains that there is no ketchup, George's frustration spills over, and he says to Lennie,
"When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts." In response,
Lennie offers to "go away and leave (George) alone."

Lennie says he
"could go off in the hills" and "find a cave." When George asks him how he
would eat, Lennie says he would "find things" and that he "don't need no nice
food with ketchup." George realizes that he's "been mean" and tries to apologize
to Lennie, but Lennie, "sensing his advantage," persists with his offer or threat to
leave. He says to George, "If you don't want me, you only jus' got to say so, and I'll go
off in those hills right there."

The phrase, "sensing his
advantage," implies that Lennie is not entirely sincere when he offers, or threatens, to
leave George alone but is rather intent only on eliciting from George a more enthusiastic plea
for him, Lennie, to stay. That said, Lennie throughout the book is so unfailingly loyal to
George, that if George did insist that he leave, he most likely would. However, Lennie knows
that George will never ask him to leave, and indeed George reassures Lennie and says, "I
want you to stay with me, Lennie." This is the response Lennie hoped to elicit from George
when he offered to leave and go to the hills.