Ralph walks along the beach, contemplating the “weariness” of life and wishing he was as thoughtful and as enlightened as Piggy. He decides the boys need a meeting, so he blows the conch and the boys congregate on the beach.
Ralph tells the boys that they need an assembly to maintain order on the island. He points out that everyone said they would help collect water, build shelters, and keep the fire going, but no one is holding up to their promises. Ralph emphasizes that the fire is the most important thing on the island because it is their only hope of getting rescued.
The littluns then express their fear of the beasts and monsters on the island. Jack takes the conch and calls the littluns “crybabies.” Piggy agrees with Jack that there is no beast, but one of the littluns, Phil, explains that he saw a beast last night. Simon then chimes up and suggests that Phil probably just saw him walking through the forest.
Other littluns begin crying and talking about the beast, but Simon takes the conch and shares a thought with them: “Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us” (125-126). Instead of considering Simon’s insightful statement, the boys begin wondering if the beast is a ghost and if ghosts are real. Ralph has the boys vote on whether or not they believe in ghosts, but Piggy quickly takes the conch and declares that ghosts are not real. Among the commotion, Jack tears the conch away from piggy and attacks Ralph’s leadership. He leads the boys in a chant about hunting the beast, and everyone by Ralph, Piggy, and Simon join in.
Piggy tells Ralph to blow the conch and restore order, but Ralph feels hopeless and doubts its ability to work. He considers relinquishing his title as chief, but Piggy and Simon tell him the boys need his leadership. Piggy especially fears that Jack will hurt him if Ralph steps down.
The boys begin to wish that the adults were there to tell them what to do and ease their worries. Ralph yearns for them to send a message or sign.