When disasters strike, people tend to help each other, not shoot each other as this film suggests. Koepp wants us to know it is a dog eat dog world. What Koepp is trying demonstrate, in an exaggerated way, is the fact that evil breeds evil. Evil may begin as an unintentional innocent act of oversight or thoughtlessness which can be perceived as a deliberate act of unkindness and can consequently give birth to revengeful and spiteful attitudes and eventually deliberate hostile actions against others. This is characterized by a blackout that engulfs the whole town.
Evil gives birth to evil.
Suddenly, money and possessions count for nothing. They are still adjusting to adult life and a new infant daughter. Matt lies to the cops about what really happened to protect his neighbor. Now confronted with the evil around them and their realization of their own wickedness, they run. But, it of course goes with them.