This is particularly evident in the last scene of the novel when a naval officer expresses surprise that the boys are acting irrationally and trying to kill each other . A specific moment of awareness should be noted: “The officer, surrounded by these noises, was moved and a little embarrassed. He turned away to give them time to collect themselves; and waited, letting his eyes rest on the trim cruiser in the distance” (202). At that very moment, the officer realized that the boys were not the only ones acting irrationally and brutally towards each other. The officer himself was in the navy and had probably suffered many casualties himself. In general, humans are supposed to be judgmental, which is not always the case. Having this vision taught in a school system is not something laudable and is most certainly a source of