Edgar Derby and Simon suffer murderous, underserved and undignified deaths; however, the ideas and values ​​they stood for and the lives and experiences that led to their sadistic deaths are similar. Although Edgar Derby and Simon lead incredibly different lives, throughout the novels Slaughterhouse-Five and Lord of the Flies, there are many similarities in the situations that ultimately led to their deaths. TRANSITION. When Edgar Derby and the other American prisoners of war were placed in the camp with the British prisoners, Kurt Vonnegut told us, "They could dig tunnels all they wanted." They would inevitably surface in a rectangle of barbed wire and find themselves greeted with indifference by dying Russians who spoke no English, who had no food, no useful information, no personal escape plans” (118-119). This quote describes how the Americans are trapped in a vast desert surrounded by dying civilians and have nowhere to go even if they were to escape the camp. This is significant because it depicts the desperate situation of the soldiers, including Edgar Derby, which helps to show his persevering and patriotic qualities which could be considered heroic. Meanwhile, Edgar Derby exudes the qualities of an exemplary soldier, while the other prisoners of war, including Billy Pilgrim, "become the ready slaves of whatever anonymous bureaucracies, computers or authoritarian institutions [that] take over their spirit ". Due to the mental and physical weakness of many prisoners of war, they are easily controlled and persuaded; however, Edgar Derby and the British prisoners attempt to remind the American prisoners of their values, morals, and hygiene. TRANSITION. Like the boys, ...... middle of paper ...... that the beast is not real and all the boys live in fear of something that does not exist. The boys have no reason to be afraid, however, when he goes to tell them this, they brutally murder him because they think he is actually the beast, thus preventing Simon from delivering his message. Even though Simon fails to convey his message to the boys, he serves a "symbolic function in the novel as an agent who provides the fibular message of the text – that "humanity is both heroic and sick" ". Although Simon fails to free the boys from their overwhelming fear of the beast, he helps readers understand the overarching message of the novel by illustrating both heroic and sick qualities. This apparent shift between two opposing traits functions as his message to the reader and makes Simon an extraordinarily important character. TRANSITION. TRANSITION.