The "Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session" has a light-hearted name and is a "success" from the start, but from its inception Gene knows the seriousness of what it asks of its members. Jumping out of the tree, even once, into the river, which Finny decides is the minimum requirement for membership, is a risky undertaking. As Gene understands, only Finny grabbing his arm saved him from a fall that might have caused a serious injury the first time he jumped:
It was only after dinner, when I was on my way alone to the library, that the full danger I had brushed on the limb shook me again. If Finny hadn’t come up right behind me . . . if he hadn’t been there . . . I could have fallen on the bank and broken my back!
Of course, knowing this, Gene will nevertheless bounce the tree later, causing Finny's terrible fall.
The name is also significant because other students assume it is one of the old, fabled secret societies that supposedly has just come to the "surface." Other people clamor to join.
The "super" suicide society is not so super to Gene, making the name ironic. It meets regularly, because it is a club that Finny is enthusiastic about, but Gene is worried every time he jumps out of the tree (which happens much more than once) because he recognizes the danger. At the same time, he is even more afraid to lose face in front of Finny. The club shows how much Gene is in Finny's grip.
"The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session," as well as being a great tongue twister, is a secret society formed by Gene and Finny. The purpose of the group is to carry out dangerous and exciting stunts, such as jumping from the tall tree into the river. These stunts are so dangerous they're almost suicidal, hence the name. The daredevil Finny's use of the word "suicide" shows his cavalier attitude to danger. Gene, on the other hand, is genuinely petrified at the prospect of death, being a much more fearful character than his best friend.
The name of the society foreshadows later events in the story. Finny's life effectively comes to an end when he breaks his leg in a fall from the tree. In doing so, however, he saves Gene's life. For someone as active and as sporty as Finny, such a serious injury turns him into a completely different person. In falling from the tree that day, Finny effectively killed his old self, as indeed did Gene. His innocence and youthful naivety die on that day too.
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