The difference between common sense and minds influenced and dulled by eagerness grasps the majority of the boys and begins to disintegrate the peace within their society. Ralph talks to the boys about their carelessness and how it is detrimental to the entire island. Their respect for one another is wearing away slowly. "They looked at each other baffled, in love and hate. All the warm salt water of the bathing pool and the shouting and splashing and laughing were only just sufficient enough to bring them together again". The true problem, however, is the "beast." A small child sees a "beastie" on the mountain and the entire group begins to talk about the subject with fear and intent of killing it, whatever it may be. After the fire is rekindled by Ralph's orders, Sam and Eric, two young twins, are on duty watching and they spot a lumpy figure huddled on the forest floor several yards away. They run to the camp and tell the others about what they have seen. Jack, Ralph, and Roger decide to climb the mountain and search for the creature. They see the figure also and are able to make out its head, eyes, and teeth, and becoming frightened, run away. Once they return to the shelters, Jack calls a meeting to discuss the beast. In the meeting, Ralph takes control over the discussion and Jack becomes angry and yells about Ralph being chief. He calls an election for a new leader, yet Ralph wins again, and because of this, Jack storms off down the beach yelling that he can live on his own. Shortly after this, Piggy and Ralph discover that they cannot find several boys in their camp. They realize that they have gone to live with Jack and that life on the island will never be the same again. Simon climbs to the top of the mountain, and finds the "beast," but examines it to see what it truly is instead of hiding from the fear as before. He finds that it is a dead man wrapped partially in a parachute and runs down to the beach where Jack's group, along with Ralph's, is feasting.
