Piggy is a very important figure in Lord of the Flies. Whether in the book or in the movie, he's always brain of Ralph, he tells Ralph ideas and comforts him. When Simon was killed as a beast by people from Jack's side, Ralph saw it as murder and was very desperate and sad. Piggy tells Ralph to forget the murder and move on because it is more important to survive than mourning for a friend. Also, Piggy is the one who keeps reminding Ralph of the need for fire. In the whole story, fire is a very important item. It can help the boys to raise smoke and be used as a distress signal. Piggy's glasses is the key to start the fire, so without Piggy, there would be no fire, which suggests that Piggy is the smart one providing all the survival ideas and strategies for Ralph. Besides being an advisor for Ralph, Piggy is also Ralph's biggest supporter. When Ralph was defeated by Jack, Piggy motivates Ralph to go against Jack. However, the book shows Ralph doesn't consider Piggy as his friend. He simply just takes the support from Piggy, and doesn't do anything for him. For example, Piggy told Ralph about his nickname at school and asked him to keep it as a secret between them. However, later in order to win more votes from the crowd at the first election meeting, Ralph revealed Piggy’s nickname without considering Piggy's feelings. In the book, Ralph is a weak boy. He needs Piggy to help him in all aspects. Consider Piggy's glasses as an example, Jack stole Piggy's glasses because it can make a fire. Piggy ask Ralph to take his glasses back, but Ralph doesn't know what to do. In contrast, in the movie when Piggy's glasses are stolen, Ralph rans to get the glasses back without hesitation, even though he's alone and without any weapons. Ralph shows more care for Piggy in the movie than the book, which makes him a more loyal friend. In my opinion, I think Ralph is better described as a weak character like what the book did, because Ralph is not treating Piggy as a real friend, and he has been using Piggy and Piggy's ideas to maintain his leadership position in his group.
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