Evidence of survival in the face of mass distruction in the plot

I think one of the major themes of this book is the coming together of a community after the bomb. All differences were set aside for the common survival of each other,

“One feeling they did seem to share, however, was a curious kind of elated community spirit . . . a pride in the way they and their fellow-survivors had stood up to a dreadful ordeal.”

This pride and spirit of survival echoes through the whole novel.