Actually, I doubt that the lone cowboy would survive a Mad Max scenario. You can't plant, hunt, scavenge and protect yourself 24/7. Movies aren't life, something that some people haven't figured out yet.

Groups of people working together has always been the way of survival, from back in the Neanderthal days and before. Even many animals work together. It's a matter of collaborate or die.

Everyone has something to offer. If they don't know how to build a slow sand water filter, they can look for firewood. If they can't hunt, they can collect eggs and watch over the free-ranging chickens. If they can't build a decent shelter, they can watch over the young children.

There is safety in numbers, there always has been. If you've got a neighborhood group obviously working together, and a lone cowboy living up on the hill, and a group of troublemakers comes through, which one will they go after?

Sue