Appalled by this, the Time Traveller exclaims: "It will give you an idea, therefore, of the strange deficiency in these creatures, when I tell you that none make the slightest attempt to rescue the weakly crying little thing which was drowning before their eyes" (48). They don't pay any attention to this emergency and don't attempt to save Weena. The Time Traveller can't understand why the Eloi would stand there and do nothing to help so he jumps into the river to save the helpless one. They definitely have the animal instinct to take care of only themselves regardless of how it affects the rest of the group.
The Eloi are not humanlike yet they are barely animalistic. They don't have much of an instinct for survival and aren't smart enough to take care of themselves. They are provided with all of their necessities to live off of by the Morlocks. They never need to work so they are free to play all day without a care in the world. The Eloi are very similar to puppies in that they have a very short attention span and all they want to do is sleep and eat. Puppies also become attached to people easily especially when they feel safe in that person's presence. When the Time Traveller saves Weena from the river, she becomes very clingy towards him and follows him everywhere, like a puppy. The Time Traveller notices that Weena shares many of these puppy-like qualities and observes: "She was exactly like a child. She wanted to be with me always. She tried to follow me every where, and on my next journey out and about it went to my heart to tire her down, and leave her at last, exhausted and calling after me rather plaintively" (49). Weena is the only Eloi that pays much attention to the Time Traveller while the rest barely acknowledge his existence. In the world of the Eloi, the Time Traveller represents change and new ideas. They ignore him with the slightest hint of curiosity which is certainly not human-like.
