In chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies, Ralph calls an assembly to remind everyone of their agreement to maintain fresh water supplies, observe sanitation measures, build shelters, and keep the signal fire going. During the meeting, a littlun claims to have seen a beast in the jungle the previous night, and Simon reveals that it was only he, going to his special place. However, the idea of the beast increasingly fills the boys with dread, and Jack and the hunters manipulate the boys’ fear of the beast to their own advantage. Suddenly, Jack proclaims that if there is a beast, he and his hunters will hunt it down and kill it. Jack torments Piggy and runs away, and many of the other boys run after him. Piggy urges Ralph to blow the conch shell and summon the boys back to the group, but Ralph is afraid that the summons will go ignored and that any vestige of order will then disintegrate. He tells Piggy and Simon that he might relinquish leadership of the group, but his friends reassure him that the boys need his guidance. As the group drifts off to sleep, the sound of a littlun crying echoes along the beach.