15 Unanswered Lost Questions That Totally Have Explanations
8. What Are The Numbers?
The numbers were always one of the most mysterious aspects of the series. They're introduced as Hurley's lottery numbers, but they then strangely pop up all around the show, even found on the hatch at the end of the first season. So why are they important, and why do they keep appearing everywhere?
The Explanation: There are two pretty important appearances of the numbers that many fans point to as an explanation. One is the Valenzetti Equation, an equation discovered by the Dharma Initiative that predicts the end of the world and consists of the infamous numbers. There's also their appearance in Jacob's cave, where each candidate received a number and 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 corresponded to the final six candidates. So does one of these completely explain what the numbers are?
Well, not quite. Those are really just two more appearances of the numbers rather than a concrete explanation for their power. The real answer is the numbers are a way of showing how all of these people are fated to come to the island. They're a manifestation of fate, and when the numbers appear in a flashback, it's like the island itself is drawing the character in. They are this overwhelming, mysterious, unseen force in the characters' lives. Essentially, the numbers are fate itself.