People would start caring about the important things again.
yes, like food and shelter except there would be no infrastructure left to help them or organize them. Think Lord of the Flies - there's a reason they made you read that in Grade 10. Think Somalia or any war zone where the infrastructure has disappeared. Do you think the USA is going to somehow not go tribal? Who will be in charge after the bomb? The people with the guns? Great, they'll be fair and decent. At least you won't have to pay your student loan. Of course, you might have to trade your sax for food.
I shouldn't go sarcastic on you B_C, but starting over in a bombed out war zone is not the same as starting over in the Garden of Eden. I welcome responses.
I actually have never read that novel, it wasn't required. I'll add it to my list. I'm saying that in the wake of destruction, it'd be easy to slip into the shadows. My ideal situation is to live in a cave and I imagine that could be done easily if such a situation transpired.