The conflict with the brothers becomes an occasion for Nephi to assert his ascendancy over his brothers, as Jehovah promised him, and as the angel informed his brothers. The actual conflict is the same one that Laman and Lemuel have had before. They want to return to as much of their lives as they could recover in Jerusalem. They do not want to follow their father. They do not appear to have a spiritual witness that their father is truly following Jehovah’s commands.
When Nephi writes, he often couches his conflicts with his brothers in the form of a speech that he gives to them. It is certainly possible that Nephi said something similar, but this is a constructed speech. This is what Nephi would have said if he had all the following years’ experience to put into words at that time. This process is typical for ancient historical writers. The mechanism of the active speech makes the text more interesting than simply recounting the events.
When Nephi begins, he admonishes his brothers’ lack of faith. He also highlights the cultural incongruity of a younger brother being required to lead his elder brothers. This is the reverse of expectation. However, it is a theme that we see multiple times in the Old Testament. It would appear that one of the ways that the Lord demonstrates his hand in human affairs is to turn expectations on their head. If the eldest son were the one to lead and teach, it would only be natural, and, therefore, not necessarily by divine mandate. If the younger son leads, then God must be behind that reversal of expectations.