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“You got your small fire all right.” (2.210)
For the first time, the boys realize their capacity for destruction.
Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for [the littluns] the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands. (3.138)
The smaller boys are dependent on Simon to help them get food. Simon realizes the littluns’ dependence on him, a responsibility that forces him into the role of an adult.