Art, I love your response.

This same situation is one that has been high in the minds of many survival folk I have talked to.

Some people... including myself at times... see disturbing signs for the future. What will happen? Will I need a shotgun to protect my last can of soup?

The reality is that there are situations where mob rule takes over. But this is uncommon even in uncommon events. While these two people knew each other, and were friends, strangers can be enormously helpful. And resourceful.

In a situation like "the road" where there are millions of people are just waiting to die, yeah, I guess things probably would really fall apart like that, but I always felt there could have been a companion to the book where the protagonists actually worked together in the exact same situation. It wouldn't be any less realistic or unlikely.

The catastrophes that we see today, and the ones that we can prepare for (be "equipped to survive") are much more temporal than The Road. semi-permanent catastrophes (be they yellowstone mega-erupting and covering the entire north american continent with a meter of ash, or a massive and horrible war) are prepared for in far different ways... if they can truly be prepared for at all.