<span>The candle being lit symbolizes intelligence, which is backed up by the boys' dark uniforms. The dimness of the room is also symbolic of the boys' misery. </span>
At the beginning of the novel, during the commencement day ceremony at Welton Academy, a single candle is lit and used to light other candles. This process, it's explained, is supposed to symbolize the light of knowledge being passed form one generation to the next.
