Ben is already separated from the teens as the only adult and authority figure to survive the crash. Steven Kruger explained in the “Edible Complex” oral history for The Hollywood Reporter that this makes him feel responsible for guiding his students in the right direction and away from any wrong decisions, such as cannibalism, that will haunt them. As his teacher, he knows that he will face the most repercussions and questions for what they have done in the desert if they are rescued. If they start eating each other, their lives are irrevocably damaged.
However, by the time the Yellowjackets feast wildly on Jackie’s body, “he completely loses control over everyone else, and I think that’s the most disturbing thing for him,” Kruger told THR. He explained to Variety about Ben’s decision not to join the party:
“He sees this transformation in their faces and in their demeanor, and all of a sudden, he recognizes that it’s not him and not the way we should be doing this. He’s immediately repulsed. That ends up being this inciting incident that ignites the game for the rest of the season about how she relates to these girls, where she stands in the group, and how she has to deal with the repercussions of almost isolating herself from the rest of them.”
According to Krueger, the only way Ben would have had dinner with Jackie would be “if there was a logical discussion” about the decision, rather than a feeding frenzy. Until then, he tried to keep order in the volatile desert. Ben realizes that once they give in to cannibalism, a certain line has been crossed between lawlessness and socially acceptable behavior and there is no going back. In fact, cannibalism may just be the beginning of his savagery.