Jacob had the ability to manipulate whatever factors he could in order to incorporate the numbers into the candidate's lives.
... Why would he do that? What's the point?
And why those 6 numbers? What was so special about that point when there were 6 candidates left that those numbers actually traveled back in time (to somehow fix DHARMA's Swan blunder, among other things)?
Jack and Locke's exchange in There No Pllace Like Home Pt 2 sheds alot of light on the nature of the Others' behaviour. Withholding the truth (and thus lying, in spectacular fashion) is absolutely integral to the survival of the island.
For one thing, the Others did a bit more than lying to the crash survivors, unfortunately for them.
Then, while they did lie indeed, I find it a bit hard to connect the dots between the fake beards and the survival of the island.
And as for that scene between Jack and Locke, it was about another lie altogether, one that was supposed to... achieve... something, I guess. I mean, what was it? Were they really afraid people would believe their crazy stories? Or was the lie just intended for Widmore, i.e.
the guy who knows damn well where they've been anyway?
On an island full of ghosts and a smoke monster, a moving hut that is supposed to house the supernatural king of the island isn't a concern of mine.
I'm not sure what could be, then. Sounds like the writers got themselves a free pass.
Again, internal consistency, blah blah, just because it's fantasy / science fiction, blah blah...
It moved so that only those who were worthy could find it. The ash was security from the black smoke.
Helpful when the cabin was out of gas, I imagine...
The numbers weren't explained?
I explained that
right above already (not the first time either, but hey)...
Every candidate is assigned a number. 4815162342 are emphasized because they represent the last candidates.
The "last"
six candidates. Before some of them got crossed out. Those six,
because.
(And yeah, those numbers were all around the place decades earlier already because that ties in so well with this whole thing about the candidates being given a choice...)
the cabin. It's pretty clear that when the writers came up with that, they hadn't finalized how they were going to characterize Jacob.
Yup.