When referring to the beast, Simon says, “What I mean is ... maybe it’s only in us.” How do most of the boys react to this?

Piggy reacted with immediately disbelief, and Jack crudely made fun of Simon's question. The boys, for the most part.....laughed at Simon.

“What I mean is...maybe it’s only us.”

“Nuts!” That was from Piggy, shocked out of decorum.

Simon went on. “We could be sort of...” Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind’s essential illness. Inspiration came to him.

“What’s the dirtiest thing there is?”

As an answer Jack dropped into the uncomprehending silence that followed it the one crude expressive syllable. Release was immense. Those littluns who had climbed back on the twister fell off again and did not mind. The hunters were screaming with delight.