Although Locke kept his authorship of the Second Treatise secret in his lifetime, he did recommend the anonymous work as the best modern treatment of property. He was particularly proud of this part of it. Not only that, but much recent philosophical argument about property consists of an argument between a basically Lockean view on the one side against a basically utilitarian view on the other. So Locke's chapter on property (Chapter V of the Second Treatise) is important, and its importance is independent of the value of Locke's thoughts about the foundation and dissolution of government that were discussed in the last chapter.

The central point for which Locke wishes to argue in this chapter is that there are natural rights to property. Property is normally thought of as a bundle of rights, and different treatments of property will include different items in the bundle. At a minimum, the ‘private right’ with which Locke says he is dealing includes an exclusive right to use. That is, people having property in something have both the right to use it themselves and also the right to control its use by others. Other rights are often included in the bundle, such as the right to destroy or the right to alienate by sale, gift, or other transfer. However, we can start with the right to control use. If this is a natural right, as Locke wishes to argue, then people have such rights, independently of, and antecedently to, government.