Ben was separated from the teenagers as the only adult and authority figure to survive the accident. Steven Kruger explained in Oral History “Edible Complex” told The Hollywood Reporter that it made him feel responsible for guiding his students in the right direction and away from any wrong decisions — like cannibalism — that would torment them. As their teacher, he knows that he will face the biggest consequences and questions of what they did in the wilderness if they are rescued. If they start eating each other, their lives will be ruined forever.
However, by the time the Yellowjackets were frantically eating Jackie, “he completely lost control of the others, and I think that was the most haunting thing for him,” Kruger told THR. He explains in detail in Diversity about Ben’s decision not to join the party:
“He saw this change in their faces and in their behavior, and all of a sudden, he realized that it wasn’t him and that’s not how we should handle this. As a result of this inciting incident, it lights up the game for the rest of the season about his relationship with these girls, his place on the team and about how he has to deal with the consequences of nearly ostracizing himself from the rest.”
According to Krueger, the only way Ben could have dinner with Jackie was “if there was some reasonable discussion” about the decision, rather than eating wildly. Up until that point, he had managed to maintain order in the volatile wilderness. Ben realized that once they gave in to cannibalism, a certain line between anarchy and socially acceptable behavior was crossed and there was no turning back. In reality, cannibalism may be just the beginning their savagery.
