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What gave him the right to rule with absolute power when there was no ship, no Admiralty, no government at all?

In Chapter 12: The Lord of Mount Misery, the remaining members of the crew of the Wager who survive as castaways on Wager Island are becoming increasingly unhappy with Captain Cheap’s leadership, as Grann summarizes in this quotation. The disgruntled men have complaints about Cheap’s stubbornness and arrogance, but beyond that, they also question the structure of command that had felt natural or necessary while on the Wager. In addition to highlighting the fragility of social order under desperate circumstances, this passage reflects the book’s argument that official titles are no replacement for natural leadership abilities.

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