Why do parked planes lock the control surfaces? After a discussion in chat about control surface locks I was wondering why they need to be locked in the first place.

Why do they need to be locked?

What is the best position to lock them in? up, down, neutral.
In the small planes I fly, it is called a "Gust Lock", and consists of a small metal bar that fixes the yoke in position, so that the yoke cannot move (left/right, or forward/back), and by association, the ailerons and elevator cannot move either.

As the name implies, this is for dealing with Gusts of wind... a sudden bit of wind over an unlocked surface can move the surface to its extreme position until it hits a mechanical stop.  If this happens repeatedly, say, over a stormy night, the repeated banging into a mechanical stop can create wear and tear on the surface, the control cables, or the yoke in the cockpit.