Read the passage from Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

Jack stood there, streaming with sweat, streaked with brown earth, stained by all the vicissitudes of a day’s hunting. Swearing, he turned off the trail and pushed his way through until the forest opened a little and instead of bald trunks supporting a dark roof there were light grey trunks

and crowns of feathery palm. Beyond these was the glitter of the sea and he could hear voices. Ralph was standing by a contraption of palm trunks and leaves, a rude shelter that faced the lagoon and seemed very near to falling down. He did not notice when Jack spoke.

"Got any water?”

Ralph looked up, frowning, from the complication of leaves. He did not notice Jack even when he saw him.

"I said have you got any water? I’m thirsty.”

Ralph withdrew his attention from the shelter and realized Jack with a start.

What is the universal theme of this passage?

the loss of innocence
the tension between freedom and responsibility
society’s dependence on authority
humanity’s search for meaning in the world