My family and I found a couple of interesting things in this story during our most recent reading that I hadn't really given much consideration to before.
For one, it shows us that Nephi believed it was important to obey the commandment to honor thy father and mother. It would have been very easy for him, after having made his new bow and arrow, to set out on his own to find food. But instead of going it alone he chose to defer to his father. Asking his father for guidance in this matter allowed him and his father to reconcile after having a difference in perspective on the issue (Nephi having kept a positive attitude while his father gave in to the temptation to "murmur against the Lord his God"). This reconciliation and deference on Nephi's part seems to have been a catalyst that prompted Lehi to repent of his pessimism and humble himself enough to inquire of the Lord as to where Nephi could find food.
The second thing we noticed, while closely related to the first, is still distinct enough to be acknowledged separately. In His dealings with His people, the Lord expects us to adhere to certain chains of command and authority. Though small in numbers, Lehi's family was the entirety of the Lord's people at this point in the Book of Mormon saga. Lehi, as patriarch and prophet was the leader of this small group and the mouthpiece of the Lord for them. Nephi seems to have clearly understood this principle and by deferring to his father on the matter of where to find food he demonstrated the importance of following and sustaining the Lord's chosen leaders.