In The Road, we see many instances where humans have lost their civility. In Journal 9 I said that the father represents the creature that appeared in the dream in the first couple of pages. However, as I read further along, I realize that most of the humans left in the world have also become monsters, except for the boy. Every person in the book is left to fend for themselves, whether it is just two people like the father and his son, or a gang like the truck people. The humans have lost most or all of their compassion, unless it benefits them. On page 86 the boy begs his father to help a boy they see in the distance, he says "I'm afraid for that little boy... We should go get him, Papa. We could get him and take him with us... And I'd give that little boy half of my food." To which the father replies, "We can't... Stop it. We can't." It seems that the boy is the only compassionate and empathetic person left in this world. Just as he begged his father to help the man that had been struck by lighting, he begs him to help the boy, but again the father says no. One could argue that the line between human and monster is very thin due to the circumstances, but regardless the humans have lost their compassion and empathy. Another example we see of this is on page 92 when we see the "bad guys." They are described like a vicious and cruel gang. "An army in tennis shoes, tramping. Carrying three-foot lengths of pipe with leather wrappings... Some of the pipes were threaded through with lengths of chain fitted at their ends with every manner of bludgeon." This shows that the army is cruel and willing to kill anyone who they see as a threat. It also again shows the line into monstrosity that humans have crossed