Fire helped explain the colours of animals, the heat and light of celestial objects, the distribution of species, the warmth of the human body, the wondrous process by which fire may be extracted from wood. Fire's power made it useful as a dramatic plot device. By their relationship to fire, creatures are revealed as brave or weak, generous or selfish, obedient or defiant. The fundamental concern of such stories is what the possession of fire means to humans. Fire differentiates humans from other creatures, and it demands that a moral code be prescribed to guide its usage among humans.
Fire brings power.
If misused, if not shared, fire must be removed from its possessors and given to others. Once removed of fire, a creature descends to a lower level of existence.