opening chapter of the novel, Golding writes:

He [Piggy] took off his glasses and held them out to Ralph, blinking and smiling, and then started to wipe them against his grubby wind-breaker. An expression of pain and inward concentration altered the pale contours of his face. He smeared the sweat from his cheeks and quickly adjusted the spectacles on his nose (9)

In chapter 2, Ralph suggests that the boys build a signal fire on the top of the mountain to attract attention from passing ships. The boys proceed to climb the mountain and Jack suggests that they use Piggy's glasses to focus the sunlight onto dry wood. After Jack violently grabs Piggy's glasses off his face, Ralph uses them to successfully start a fire. Unfortunately, the fire goes out and Jack proceeds to criticize Piggy for not helping. However, Simon comes to Piggy's defense by saying:

We used his specs...He helped that way (58)

In chapter 9, conditions on the island have severely deteriorated, and the majority of the boys have left Ralph’s tribe for Jack's camp to enjoy the feast. Toward the beginning of the chapter, Piggy and Ralph are swimming in the lagoon and Ralph begins to spray Piggy in the face with water. Piggy responds by saying:

Mind my specs...If I get water on the glass I got to get out and clean ’em (211)

Piggy is extremely protective of his glasses, which corresponds to his affinity for civility and scientific thought. However, Ralph continues to spray water in his direction, which motivates Piggy to fight back. Toward the end of chapter 10, Jack leads a raid on Ralph and Piggy's shelter in order to steal his glasses. Jack and his hunters desperately need to acquire Piggy's glasses to start a fire and cook their pig meat. After the savages raid Ralph's camp, they head back to Castle Rock and Golding writes:

He [Jack] was a chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses (243)

[Piggy] wiped his glasses and adjusted them on his button nose. The frame had made a deep, pink V on the bridge. (p.11).

Piggy's glasses are an essential part of who he is. And it's of vital importance for him that he keeps them clean. The glasses symbolize Piggy's ability to see things more clearly than the other boys. Hence they need to be wiped clean and properly adjusted on his nose.

Jack pointed suddenly. "His specs–use them as burning glasses!" Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. "Here–let me go!" His voice rose to a shriek of terror as Jack snatched the glasses off his face. "Mind out! Give ’em back! I can hardly see! You’ll break the conch!" (pp.55-56).

Jack couldn't care less about Piggy's eyesight; he just sees his specs as being a useful means of starting a fire. Piggy's glasses are a symbol of reason and intelligence, and the conch shell symbolizes order. When Jack abruptly snatches the glasses from Piggy's face, it represents a victory of savagery over civilization.

Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried out in terror: "My specs!" He went crouching and feeling over the rocks but Simon, who got there first, found them for him. Passions beat about Simon on the mountain-top with awful wings.  “One side’s broken.” Piggy grabbed and put on the glasses. He looked malevolently at Jack. “I got to have them specs. Now I only got one eye. Jus’ you wait—” Jack made a move toward Piggy who scrambled away till a great rock lay between them. He thrust his head over the top and glared at Jack through his one flashing glass. “Now I only got one eye. Just you wait—” (pp.100-101).

The cracking of one of Piggy's lenses is highly significant in a number of ways. But mainly, it represents the way in which the barbarism of Jack and his tribe is now starting to gain the upper hand. They've just come back from hunting in the jungle, carrying a large pig. Their absence has led to the fire going out, but they no longer seem to care, so excited are they by their slaughter of the pig. After a subsequent argument in which Jack breaks Piggy's glasses, the rules-based order so cherished by Ralph and Piggy starts to crumble. What's left of civilization on the island has been partially broken, like Piggy's glasses, and it can now only be a matter of time before it's destroyed altogether.

On page nine, Piggy first mentions his “specs” when he tells Ralph that he has been wearing them since he was a little boy: “I’ve been wearing specs since I was three." 

The second time that Piggy’s “specs” come up in the story is when the boys are struggling to find some way of lighting the fire. First, they ask Piggy if he has any matches but then someone realizes that they can use his glasses to light the fire.

This is on page 59: “His specs–use them as burning glasses!”

There are several mentions of his specs at other points but one notable one is when Golding explains that the big boys generally thought that Piggy was different and tha the was not part of their group. They think that he is different because he has a different accent but also because of his “fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labor.” This quote comes on page 91.

There’s also the important mention of the specs at the end of the story as they go to retrieve them from Jack on page 253.

If the boys on the island had realized how valuable Piggy's insights and problem solving skills were, they would have likely not fallen into such chaos by the novel's end. However, Piggy finds himself on the outside of the group's acceptance from the very beginning, initially because he is an easy target of ridicule due to his weight.

One of Piggy's most compelling moments that show his wisdom is in his final words:

“I got this to say. You’re acting like a crowd of kids.” The booing rose and died again as Piggy lifted the white, magic shell.“Which is better—to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?”

A great clamor rose among the savages. Piggy shouted again.

“Which is better—to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”

This shows that Piggy isn't afraid to take a stand against Jack, even when Jack is surrounded by the vocal support of his "savages." It also shows that Piggy understands the opposition of forces on the island: sensibility and savagery. Piggy knows what is at stake and wisely chooses order over Jack's anarchy.

Near the end, even Ralph grows weary of fighting Jack, and it is Piggy who reminds him of the importance of keeping the signal fire going. In the midst of fighting, Ralph cannot even recall the significance of their efforts:

Ralph tried indignantly to remember. There was something good about afire.

Something overwhelmingly good.

“Ralph’s told you often enough,” said Piggy moodily. “How else are we going to be rescued?”

Piggy is able to rise above the clamor and maintain the original goals for longer than Ralph, not allowing Jack and his wild boys drag him into the depths of despair. Piggy shows that he is capable of wisdom and foresight, two strong qualities in a good leader.

When Piggy and Ralph first meet, in chapter one, it is Piggy who makes the practical suggestion that they "make a list" and "have a meeting." He also points out to Ralph that the conch can be used "to call the others."

Piggy also feels that it is important that all the boys grasp the reality of their situation. In chapter two, he points out that "nobody knows where we are. We may be here a long time." Even though most of the boys openly treat Piggy with disrespect, his is often the voice of reason. His tirade in chapter two ends when he asks the others, "how can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?" It is Piggy who reiterates the importance of having a list of names; he is the first to realize that the littlun with the birthmark has perished in the fire.

When others get caught up in having fun, hunting the pigs, or, like Jack and Ralph, engaging in competitive behaviors, Piggy keeps his focus on rescue. He is the one who notices that the signal fire has gone out when a ship passes by in chapter four. It is Piggy who calls out Jack: "you didn't ought to have let that fire out."

And finally, in chapter five, it is Piggy who understands that the only thing the boys need really fear is each other. He tells Ralph that they will be okay "unless we get frightened of people."

From the very first chapter, readers can see that Piggy has unique problem-solving and administrative abilities that would make him an excellent leader for the boys. He is the one who says of the conch, "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us." Piggy immediately begins to get all the names of the boys: "Piggy muttered the name to himself and then shouted it to Ralph, who was not interested because he was still blowing." Although Ralph initially mocks and disregards Piggy, he comes to understand Piggy's talents as being better than his own:

Only, decided Ralph as he faced the chief's seat, I can't think. Not like Piggy. Once more that evening Ralph had to adjust his values. Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains.

Here the only reason given for Piggy to not be chief is his body; he is asthmatic and heavy-set. 

When Ralph feels defeated because the "beast" is preventing them from keeping the signal fire on the mountain, Piggy suggests to move the fire to the beach, displaying "intellectual daring" not seen in any of the other boys. Piggy displays great courage and a strong sense of right and wrong when he insists that they confront Jack; he intends to say, "I don't ask you to be a sport, I'll say, not because you're strong, but because what's right's right." 

Piggy's intellect, his administrative skill, his problem solving ability, his courage, and his commitment to morality are all qualities that would make him an excellent leader for the group. Unfortunately, among the boys on the island, Piggy's asthma and physical condition made him less respected. If the boys could have respected him, he would have been the best chief of any of the boys. 

In chapter 1, the boys determine that someone needs to be in charge of leading them. As they begin conversations about who that should be, they realize the power of the being who brought them all together:

But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart.

“Him with the shell.”

“Ralph! Ralph!”

“Let him be chief with the trumpet-thing.”

The conch has power because it has gathered them from their far flung reaches of the island. Since it has power, the boy who blew it also has power. It wasn't even originally his idea, but Ralph is seen as powerful because of his connection with the conch.

In chapter 4, Jack and his hunters have some meat and use that position as a means of power, particularly over Piggy:

“Aren’t I having none?”

Jack had meant to leave him in doubt, as an assertion of power; but Piggy by advertising his omission made more cruelty necessary.“You didn’t hunt.”

“No more did Ralph,” said Piggy wetly, “nor Simon.”

To eat is to live. Jack realizes this and the power he can exert over the group through his access to meat. Because Jack hates Piggy from the start, he denies Piggy food as a means of asserting his dominance over Piggy's position of wisdom.

In chapter 5, Simon, Piggy, and Ralph are analyzing Jack's character and motivation, trying to determine why Jack is so nasty to them:

"He hates you too, Ralph—”

“Me? Why me?”

“I dunno. You got him over the fire; an’ you’re chief an’ he isn’t.”

“But he’s, he’s, Jack Merridew!”

“I been in bed so much I done some thinking. I know about people. I know about me. And him. He can’t hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s me.”

“Piggy’s right, Ralph. There’s you and Jack. Go on being chief.”

This exchange reveals a couple of things. First, there will always be those like Jack who despise people in a position of power. Not everyone desires to live in a society of order or to submit to a form of authority. Jack represents disorder and therefore stands in natural opposition to Ralph, who seeks to exert a form of control over the group. Second, the exchange reveals that those who oppose leadership will sometimes strike out indirectly to harm others close to that leadership. Thus, Piggy realizes that he's in danger simply because of his proximity to Ralph.

1. At the beginning of chapter 5, Ralph demonstrates his leadership skills by holding an assembly to address the fact that necessary tasks are not being completed. Ralph reveals his authority and power by telling the group,

We need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log...not for making jokes, or for...for cleverness. Not for these things. But to put things straight...I've been alone. By myself I went, thinking what's what. I know what we need. An assembly to put things straight. And first of all, I'm speaking.(Golding 60)

Ralph's opening statements are clear, direct, and effectively convey his purpose for holding the assembly. Unfortunately, Jack interrupts the assembly and the hunters leave the meeting without being excused.

2. In chapter 9, Jack holds a feast and Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric are in attendance. Jack reveals his leadership and power by telling the boys,

I gave you food...and my hunters will protect you from the beast. Who will join my tribe?(Golding 116)

Jack believes that his ability to provide food for the boys and protect them from the beast are the most important qualities of an effective chief.

3. In chapter 10, Jack demonstrates his ability to manipulate his group of hunters into following his every directive. Despite the fact that they brutally murdered Simon, who they mistook for the beast, Jack maintains that the beast is still alive. He understands how to manipulate the boys' fears and tells them to leave the severed pigs head for the beast. The fact that Jack's hunters follow his every command reveals his leadership skills and influence. Jack tells his tribe,

So leave the mountain alone...and give it the head if you go hunting...I expect the beast disguised itself. Perhaps...We'd better keep on the right side of him, anyhow. You can't tell what he might do...But tomorrow we'll hunt and when we've got meat we'll have a feast. (Golding 125)

Your best bet for finding quotes about power and leadership is to focus on the characters of Ralph and Jack.  Right from the very beginning of the story both boys seek to be nominated chief.  Ralph is voted chief, but Jack works to undermine Ralph's power and authority by selling the kids the idea that a dictator is a much better form of leadership.  The following quote illustrates the early desire of the boys to have a leadership structure in place.  

"Shut up," said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. "Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things."

"A chief! A chief!"

"I ought to be chief," said Jack with simple arrogance, "because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp."

Ralph begins his job as chief in a positive way, because he exercises his power while at the same time taking into account the needs of those that he is in power over.  He delegates jobs to other boys and even gives Jack a leadership role of his own.  Jack gets to lead the hunters.  

The suffusion drained away from Jack's face. Ralph waved again for silence.

"Jack's in charge of the choir. They can be—what do you want them be?"

"Hunters."

Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking. The rest began to talk eagerly.

Of course Jack is only appeased for so long.  By chapter five Jack is demanding that power be given to him.  He believes that he can lead better, because he is willing to step up and take power over Ralph.  

Jack's face swam near him.

"And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can't hunt, you can't sing—"

"I'm chief. I was chosen."

"Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don't make any sense—"

Ralph emerges as the leader of the group pretty quickly, but he lacks the reason that Piggy possesses. Piggy gravitates toward Ralph and supports him as the best leader, lending counsel when he can.

When Jack's group lets the fire go out just as a ship passes by (and the potential for a rescue is missed), Piggy confronts Jack:

"You didn't ought to have let that fire go out. You said you'd keep the smoke going—" (chapter 4)

Piggy is not the athletic type, and he suffers from asthma. He is at a clear physical disadvantage when confronting Jack, who punches him hard in the stomach and then calls him "fatty." Yet Piggy doesn't back down. He is both fully supportive of Ralph's leadership in keeping the signal fire going and in standing against Jack's tendencies to constantly hunt.

In chapter 8, Ralph is full of self-doubt about his abilities to lead. He feels lost about the direction of the group and is struggling to make sense of what he should do next. Piggy offers him some advice:

"We just got to get on, that's all. That's what grownups would do."

Piggy is determined that Ralph can lead the group back to rational organization. He believes that they have to keep trying because that's their only choice.

Ralph and Piggy really bond after the murder of Simon. Both boys were witnesses to the murder and even participants in the ceremony leading up to it—and neither did anything to stop it. They really struggle with this afterward. Piggy tries to contextualize this so that they can both move forward:

"You said I was only on the outside."

"We was on the outside. We never done nothing. We never seen nothing." (chapter 10)

Piggy goes on to organize a new strategy for survival, including only the two of them and Samneric in the new, smaller group. Not only does Piggy show his loyalty to Ralph in this section (his logic is that if he is innocent, Ralph is also innocent), but he is also determined to survive despite the constant threats of violence from Jack's group.

Piggy looks to Ralph as a leader and confidante, but also for protectection.  He is tremendously loyal to Ralph, because he sees in Ralph the authority and ability to protect him from the other boys.  For example, the very first time Ralph blows the conch, and Jack arrives with the choir boys.  Piggy feels "intimidated by the uniformed authority and the off-hand superiority in Merridew's voice" and draws closer to Ralph (21).

"He shrank to the other side of Ralph and busied himself with his glasses" (21). 

As the novel progresses, Piggy becomes less of the shy, shrinking away boy and learns to assert himself.  His determination to retrieve his glasses from Jack is one of Piggy's finest moments and speeches:

"I just take the conch to say this.  I can't see no more and I got to get my glasses back.  Awful things has been done on this island.  I voted for you for chief.  He's the only one who ever got anything done.  So now you speak Ralph, and tell us what" (170).

Piggy continues on, desperate to convey his determination to get his glasses back, not only to prove a point, but because it is the right thing to do.  He outlines what he plans to say to Jack to Ralph and Samneric:

"Look, I'm goin' to say, you're stronger than I am and you haven't got asthma...But I don't ask for my glasses back, not as a favor,.  I don't ask you to be a sport, I'll say, not because you're strong, but because what's right's right" (171).

Piggy's impassioned speech rallies the other boys.  Reading this again makes me wish that Piggy would have had his opportunity to say all of those things to Jack, to "have his day in court."

Power is a significant theme in The Lord of the Flies, as the novel is an allegory for real-life abuses of power in places of leadership. Ralph and Jack represent two kinds of leadership: Ralph is democratic, wanting what's best for everyone, while Jack is more of a fascist tyrant who preys on fear and scarcity.

One passage which illustrates this theme occurs when Jack has his tribe go to capture Samenric when they approach their territory:

The painted group moved round Samenric nervously and unhandily...."Tie them up!"...Now the group... felt the power in thier hands...Jack was inspired..."See? They do what I want."

Power has not made Jack wise and thoughtful about what is best for everyone but has rather made him aggressive and distrustful toward anyone not immediately in alignment with his own ideas. This power-lust is experienced not only by Jack but by his followers as well. Power becomes intoxicating and makes these boys feel strong.

And as Jack's increasingly violent behavior shows, there is no such thing as too little power. He comes to kill others outside the tribe for little to no reason at all.

Here's another quote related to power:

Jack spoke.

"Give me a drink."

Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.

Once again, for Jack, power is about having others at your beck and call. He abuses power just to show he's the boss—not to better his group's chances for survival as Ralph does. The allusion to apes also shows how power is causing Jack to become drunk with it and makes him act more like an animal in proportion to the amount of power he attains.

The friendship between Piggy and Ralph grows unevenly through the first half of the novel. The two boys are initially thrown together randomly as they make their way from the airplane wreckage. They get along well at first because they share a sensible, problem-solver attitude toward their dilemma; rather than just cope with how things are, they both aim to identify and implement methods that should lead to their rescue. The budding friendship is damaged, however, after Piggy had confessed his hated nickname. When they are alone and Ralph laughs wildly at the name, it strangely begins to create a bond:

Piggy grinned reluctantly, pleased despite himself at even this much recognition.

Later, however, it hurts him that Ralph treats him cruelly by mocking him to the group of boys, and Piggy confesses his dismay. Ralph starts to see him as a person.

Stillness descended on them. Ralph, looking with more understanding at Piggy, saw that he was hurt and crushed.

Although at this point Ralph is still treating him as a subordinate, exercising “the directness of genuine leadership,” the incident is important because Ralph later realizes the negative effect of his behavior as he comes to value Piggy’s friendship.

When Piggy’s specs prove useful and Jack mocks him again, Ralph intervenes on Piggy’s behalf. This behavior shows his innate fairness more than affection for the other boy, who continues to alienate the majority with his doom-and-gloom predictions. Ralph enjoys teasing Piggy, who is always serious, but Piggy gains confidence from every smile he receives.

Piggy saw [Ralph’s]...smile and misinterpreted it as friendliness.... Now, finding that something he had said made Ralph smile, he rejoiced and pressed his advantage.

After the fiasco with the fire going out, Ralph gets to know Jack a little better and realizes the danger his attitude presents, then he starts to appreciate Piggy more.

Ralph's admiration for Piggy is most often expressed subtly; in chapter eleven, when Piggy bravely announces his intention to confront Jack about the return of his glasses, Ralph tells him, "we'll go with you." Moreover, he tells Piggy that he (Piggy) must carry the conch in the conference with Jack, which demonstrates his respect for Piggy's courage and civility.

After Piggy has been killed and Ralph is on the run from Jack, Roger, and Samneric, Ralph counsels himself to "Think." He acknowledges that there is "no Piggy to talk sense" and has to find within himself the strength and wisdom of the boy who became his friend. Though Golding only once explicitly calls the boys friends, in the novel's penultimate paragraph, Ralph's asking himself what Piggy would do if he were still alive inspires him to out-maneuver his enemies for a time through evasive action and, in a sense, ennobles their relationship.

What was the sensible thing to do?

There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.

In chapter 12, Ralph shows that he also depended on Piggy for his input and advice, which signifies that he considered him a partner and friend. In the face of aggression from Jack and his group, Ralph is lost without his friend, and he misses him.

Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

As the other children became emotional and recalled their time on the island, Ralph wept for his friend and recognized him for his wisdom and loyalty. The two boys ended up together soon after emerging from the wreckage, and throughout their time together up until Piggy’s demise, Piggy stood by Ralph's side despite the myriad of challenges that they faced.

Ralph glanced up at the pinnacles, then toward the group of savages. “Listen. We’ve come to say this. First you’ve got to give back Piggy’s specs. If he hasn’t got them he can’t see. You aren’t playing the game—”

Ralph and Piggy went to meet Jack in order to recover Piggy’s spectacles and restore the signal fire. The event showed Ralph’s and Piggy’s friendship. Ralph requested that Jack and the savages hand the specs back to Piggy because of the trouble Piggy was going through.

"If you give up," said Piggy, in an appalled whisper, "what 'ud happen to me?" (93).

This quote from Piggy reveals his dependency and honest trust in Ralph's leadership.  Piggy views Ralph as a friend and protector, someone who will look out for him against Jack's bullying.

"Listen.  We've come to say this.  First you've got to give back Piggy's specs.  If he hasn't got them he can't see" (177).

Ralph defends Piggy to Jack and his hunters at Castle Rock.  In this moment, he stands up for Piggy and demands that Jack return Piggy's glasses.  This show of friendship and loyalty from Ralph is important to Piggy who counted on Ralph as his champion against Jack and his hunters. 

"And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, and the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy" (202).

This final quote concerning Ralph's friendship with Piggy occurs at the very end of the novel as Ralph reminisces about the true cost of his time on the island.  In this moment, Ralph has the wisdom and perception to see Piggy for what he really was--a "true, wise friend" (202).

Throughout the novel, Piggy is a proponent of civilization and humanity. He is continually in conflict with Jack and loyally follows Ralph. Towards the end of Chapter 5, Jack openly opposes Ralph and leaves the camp to hunt. Ralph feels powerless, and the boys begin to wish there were adults present on the island. Piggy displays his faith in adults by saying,

"Grown-ups know things...They ain’t afraid of the dark. They’d meet and have tea and discuss. Then things ’ud be all right—" (Golding 133).

In Chapter 11, Piggy makes several important points. Immediately after Jack steals the fire from Ralph's group, Ralph blows the conch and calls a meeting. Piggy then takes the conch and says,

"I just take the conch to say this. I can’t see no more and I got to get my glasses back. Awful things has been done on this island. I voted for you for chief. He’s the only one who ever got anything done. So now you speak, Ralph, and tell us what. Or else—" (Golding 244).

Piggy has always been Ralph's biggest supporter and realizes the barbaric nature of Jack. In this moment of crisis, Piggy feels that it is necessary to reiterate Ralph's importance as the "only one who ever got anything done." Ralph then leads the boys to Castle Rock where Piggy takes the conch and gives his last speech. Piggy holds the conch and asks the important question,

"Which is better—to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?" (Golding 259).

Fittingly, Piggy's last words are an appeal for humanity and civilization.

In one of the group's many "assemblies" Ralph is referring to how things are getting out of control, and how the littluns are letting their fear of the unknowns in the forest get the better of them.  Piggy states that there is no beast and "I know there isn't no fear either...unless we get frightened of people."  This turns out to be a prophetic statement, as in the end, the boys end up hunting each other, and their fear of being killed by each other is a tangible reality.

Later, Piggy states very incisively of Jack that "I know about people.  I know about me.  And him.  He can't hurt you:  but if you stand out of the way he'd hurt the next thing.  And that's me."  This also is very insightful of Piggy, and foreshadows his future demise.  He has a sense for people, and can sense Jack's wildness.

Then, right before his death, he asks pertinent questions:  "Which is better-to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?...Which is better, law and rescue or hunting and breaking things up?"  He gets to the crux of the matter, the conflict that has been tearing the boys apart from the beginning.  Do we establish civility, laws and order, or do we turn everything over to chaos?  Unfortunately, these are his last words, his final rhetorical mark on the boys.

Piggy is very much the voice of reason on the island. It is he who understands the necessity of building a rules-based civilization if the boys are to survive and thrive. While so many of the other boys are having fun and just generally jerking around, Piggy's getting down to the practical business of building fires and shelters, and thinking how best to organize everything.

He doesn't only do this because it's important, because it's absolutely essential for the boys' survival, but because he wants to be accepted by the others. Overweight, short-sighted, and asthmatic, Piggy's one of life's outsiders, constantly picked on and bullied for his unimpressive physical appearance. So one can understand why Piggy sees his contribution to this nascent civilization as an opportunity to make him a respected figure at long last:

Piggy was […] so full of pride in his contribution to the good of society […] that he helped to fetch wood.

It doesn't work out quite like that, unfortunately. The other boys still hate Piggy's guts and continue to make his life a misery every opportunity they get. Once Piggy realizes that he'll never win any popularity contests, he defiantly asserts his rationality in the face of Jack's savages and their mindless aggression:

Which is better—to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?

Piggy is fat and weak and not really shy about telling people about it. He tells Ralph all about his asthma and the many things he can't do and even reveals his nickname, "Piggy." But he is also very intelligent and represents science and the knowledge of the world on the island. He is the only boy who is really able to think through their situation and also seems to be the one who listened and remembered the most about their experience.

When Ralph says that the folks at the airport would tell his dad so that he could come rescue the boys, Piggy says:

“Not them. Didn’t you hear what the pilot said? About the atom bomb? They’re all dead.”

Piggy is also the first to suggest that they ought to make a list of every boy's name so that they can keep track. He is thoughtful and organized that way.

He is also the one who tells the boys how there can't be a big snake type "beastie" on the island because there isn't anything big enough for it to eat.