The beezlenuts
The Beezlenuts are a key symbol in this text, representing a desirable thing that people might want. As Horton tells us, the nuts are the sweetest nuts in the jungle, meaning that many of the animals want to eat them. In his desire to gain access to them, Horton is roped into an unfair deal with the Kwuggerbug. Here, Seuss uses the berries as a warning against being blinded by desire and want.
The Kwuggerbug
The Kwuggerbug is a symbol for a manipulative and cruel person, who uses and takes advantage of others to get what he wants. While Horton is suffering through the lake, the Kwuggerbug was "quite safe and dry," showing that he is not putting in the same amount of work.
The brains and the muscle
The Kwuggerbug's claim that he is the brains while Horton is the muscle is a symbol for manipulation. Seuss is showing us how sometimes people can claim to be the "brains" of an operation, which sometimes does not involve that much work.
The crocodile
The crocodile represents the obstacles Horton must overcome to get his beezlenuts. This is the first indication in the story that Horton is putting in more effort than the bug in order to get his reward.
Allegory
Like many of Seuss' stories, Horton and the Kwuggerbug is an allegory. This story is an allegory for the unfair deals and agreements that are common in society. While some people put in the majority of the work, like Horton, a small number of people like the Kwuggerbug put little effort in and reap the rewards of another person's labor.
