By design, John is an oddity even upon his introduction to the novel. What is immediately visible is that he is a young white man in a village of Native Americans. As the reader soon learns, the differences are far more than skin deep. John's mother raises him in accordance to the ideals of the massive World State she grew up in. Unfortunately, these ideals are completely contrary to those of the village. In this interesting case of nature versus nurture, the other villagers cannot overcome John's differences and he is shunned. Despite his obvious willingness to live by village customs (he practically begs to be whipped, a point that later becomes symbolic for John's own rejection of society) he is still viewed as an outsider. One could rightfully assume that whatever offense John committed must have been significant in order to warrant such cruel treatment. By analyzing the reasons for exile, the reader can discover what is of cultural importance. John is an outsider more because of his mother's actions than his own. His mother, Linda continues to live by the brave new world mantra of "everyone belongs to everyone else" even after entering a society rooted strictly in monogamy. The results are (quite literally) not pretty. Going a step deeper reveals even more about the village's values. The savages are not particularly angered by Linda's promiscuity, they are upset that she has chosen to be promiscuous with men already in relationships. From this the reader can infer that while monogamy is important to the society, family is really what matters most. All of this stems from an inspection of John's alienation.
In the second half of the novel, Huxley flips things around. When John is introduced to the brave new world, he is still an outsider. However, this time he is faced with an intrusively curious city, not a spiteful village. In the World State, John's oddities make him an object of interest, not hate. Still, these differences keep him apart from others. In the end it is John who reject society himself. This inversion presents some interesting points. The reader presumably already knows that the key characteristic of Brave New World's setting is moral decadence. It is explicitly stated many times that the citizens enjoy soma, sex, "sports", and not much else. With all these details of morality and value already given, what does the introduction of John add? Simply put, he adds context. Being a satire, Brave New World is fairly ludicrous. Without the inclusion of a truly human character for the reader to identify with, Huxley's message would have remained strictly theoretical. John's reaction to the moral decay he sees around him parallels that of the reader. He is, more or less, a placement of the reader within the novel's setting. John's perspective shows the magnitude of the values already introduced. In a way, he serves as a living foil to the world. Again, this is only possible because John is so thoroughly separate from society. For example, Bernard is initially similar to John. He is an outsider who is able to clearly see the faults of society. However, once he accepted by others (during his showcasing of "the Savage"), he quickly abandons reason. The life he had previously despised with such vehemence suddenly becomes normal. It is for this reason that John's character is so important to understanding the workings of the brave new world. He is the reference point from which all things are relative.
From a mechanical standpoint, characters' isolation provides remarkable insight into the society they are cast out of. John shows both sides of the story. At the village, he is rejected by others, but in the city he is the one doing that rejection. In one case, alienation is a means to reveal the moral nature of the savages. In the other case John becomes the social context the reader uses to judge values. Each circumstance provides uniquely different information about the society.
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