What can you tell me about the theme of civilization based upon the book?

It is human nature to seek out others and to live in a structured society. As Rod and his new partner, Jack, begin adding to their small group, they soon discover that a need for rules and discipline has arisen. Nearly all the surviving students from several different schools have all come to this one place in response to Rod, Jimmy, and Jack's signal fire. However, there is a group of four young men who are unruly and difficult, facing off with Rod as their leader every chance they get. Eventually this leads to a confrontation in which Rod is forced to expel the young men from the newly formed colony. As a result, a student from the only college class on the planet suggests they form some sort of government.

A meeting is called and Rod finds himself forced out of the leadership role. Rod is hurt and feels as though he was pushed out intentionally, especially when the new leader places his own people in control of the new government and begins making laws that benefit only the older students of the colony. Rod and his friends consider leaving, but instead Rod decides it would be to everyone's benefit to remain and wait for the new government to repair their mistakes. The new government, however, is pompous and struggling under the stress of creating a whole new civilization from scratch with little to no modern conveniences that everyone is used to having. Eventually, just as Rod had hoped, the new leader begins to see his own mistakes and turns to Rod for advice.

The new leader fails to take some of Rod's advice, including the idea of moving to an extensive group of caves Rod found that would be safer and easier to defend. Instead, the colony remains out in the open and is caught off guard by a strange migration of the animals they have begun calling Dopey Joes. The new leader is killed, leaving Rod the newly elected mayor of this new civilization. Rod does the best he can to bring his colony together and to preserve a semblance of normal life among his group of refugees. Within time, the colony begins to resemble a real town, a town out of the history books, but a new civilization none the less.