Why do you think the description of the officer “allowing his eyes to rest on the trim cruiser in the distance” serves as the final line of the novel?

The officer has become emotional over the boys' reaction to his presence..... to their state. Keeping his eyes fastened on the ship in the distance allows him to keep his composure..... to hide his own discomfort from the boys. The image of the cruiser juxtaposes the arrival of civilization with the savages the boys have become: Golding's social experiment is over.