The lost boys were not naturally fearless — they were ordinary boys who had found themselves in an extraordinary place.
Before Peter Pan they had each been alone and genuinely frightened by what the jungle and the pirates might do.
But Peter had gathered them together one by one and given each of them a role in something larger than themselves.
He told them they were brave before they had done anything particularly brave and they found they wanted to prove him right.
He led from the front always, taking the first risk and the greatest danger as naturally as if it cost him nothing.
When he charged toward Hook's ship with a crow of pure delight, something in the boys' chests charged with him.
A leader who believes in you completely changes what you believe about yourself in ways that last far beyond the moment.
They followed Peter bravely.

The relationship between Peter and the lost boys illustrates something important about the nature of courage and leadership.
Courage is not the absence of fear — it is the decision to act despite fear, and that decision is often made by following someone.
The lost boys were afraid of pirates and tigers and the dark parts of Neverland that even Peter approached carefully.
But Peter's particular gift was his ability to make the act of moving toward danger feel more compelling than staying still.
He did not eliminate their fear — he gave them something that competed with it successfully and won the competition.
That something was the sense of being part of a story worth telling, led by someone worth following into the unknown.
Leadership of this quality is rare and its effect on ordinary people is nothing short of transformative and lasting.
The lost boys were not brave because they were exceptional — they were brave because Peter made them feel that they were.
They followed Peter bravely.