A foundation for Western civilization, the Ten Commandments are moral laws that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai after the Hebrew people had been miraculously delivered from Egypt. The first four commandments deal with man's relationship to God; the last six govern interpersonal relationships. The eighth commandment says, "You shall not steal." This is one of the commandments that Jack breaks repeatedly in Lord of the Flies.
Technically, stealing refers to taking property that doesn't belong to you without the permission of the owner. In chapter 8, Jack separates from Ralph, refusing to accept him as chief anymore. He draws other boys after him to hunt, and when they realize they have no fire, Jack says, "We'll raid them and take fire." Ralph and his group would no doubt have given Jack some fire if he had asked, but he chooses to steal.
After Jack has drawn away almost all the boys to his tribe, they conduct another raid of Ralph's camp, this time in the middle of the night. They beat up the boys and take Piggy's glasses. This crime is especially egregious because in addition to taking mere property, they are stealing Piggy's sight, causing him to become severely disabled.
On Castle Rock, Jack actually resorts to stealing people. Although Samneric are loyal to Ralph, Jack commands his tribe to "grab them," and they do, and tie them up, stealing their freedom from them. Ralph loses his temper and screams at Jack, "You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!" Ralph confronts Jack with his violation of one of society's bedrock principles: the eighth commandment.
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