Quote 4
Randy sensed that Pete, perhaps because he had never had much of it, still coveted money. He said, "I'll give you a price for salt right now." (7.91)
Some people still cling to the old order even after it's obvious it's gone for good. Case in point right here. Pete Hernandez trades a big old bag of salt—a super-hot commodity in the post-apocalypse—for what is effectively green paper with old dudes' faces on them. At least it makes for good TP.
Quote 5
"It was a wolf," Randy said. "It wasn't a dog any long. In times like these dogs can turn into wolves." (9.264)
Now that's a spicy metaphor, we say while kissing our fingers. Like the German Shepherd that keeps eating the Henrys' chickens at night, mankind can quickly go feral if society collapses. A scary thought indeed.
Quote 6
"I am an officer in the Reserve. I have been legally designated to keep order when normal authority breaks down. [...] And the first thing I must do to keep order is execute the highwaymen." (10.69)
Left for dead by the federal government and besieged by bloodthirsty highwaymen, Randy takes matters into his own hands and singlehandedly bring Fort Repose back from the brink of chaos. Sure, we might feel squeamish that his first act as sorta-sheriff is to murder a gang of criminals, but can we really blame him given the situation? It's eat or be eaten and all that.