Most human beings believe that we are sophisticated, just, and supreme of all other beings. But when we lose everything and become exposed and vulnerable, we can behave just like any cornered animal. Every person can do unmentionable things when threatened enough. Each person has a different view on what is right and wrong. This differs their threshold of what they are willing to do to get what they want. Even if someone believes that they would never kill or sabotage a person, they are still capable of it and in the right situation will, if they feel threatened enough or they will try to run from it. There is a term in psychology that describes this, called the fight or flight response. When in a dangerous situation, a person will receive a boost of adrenaline to help them either fight what is endangering them or to help the person escape from it completely. When this happens, specifically in the fight component of this response, there is perceived control. This perception of control is not the persons actual control ability and leads to an underestimation or overestimation of what they are capable of which results in anxiety or aggression. One may look down upon on people who actively use violence to solve issues in their life and may think of them as savage and animal like. But that someone may also have to face a choice of acting the same way if placed in the right situation. In the Lord of the Flies and The Inheritors, William Golding uses characterization in order to explore the survival instinct inherent in humans.
An orderly society provides structure to those who live in it. A daily schedule of work, play, family time, school, chores, and government allows people to function in a civilized manner. When these components are stripped away, society is left with a dismantled moral framework. When this occurs, people tend to focus on their own wellbeing opposed to looking at the bigger picture of caring for all.