Ancestors of mine went through the 1st Great Depression in parts of central Illinois. I remember more then one saying that a few people had stolen for comfort/luxury stuffs at the beginning but later on would have trades comfort for food. Water was never a problem since the rural folks had hand pumped wells. One of them said they worked for less then a dollar a day when they could find work at all. Hobos would stop and try and get a meal for putting in a days work on the farms. One thing that saved alot of rural people was barterring. A hunter would trade meats to the people that grew veggies and canned them. By my grandfathers accounts the city was no place to go. There were thugs trying to muscle in on any market you had regardless if it was meats, veggies or crafted items like saddles/fabrics/etc. He said "It was a test of how charitable and neighborly you really were. 1/2 the time we didnt know for sure if we would make it. And if I didnt have anything to spare I spared it anyway because you never know when what you send around will come back around at you."
I know he didnt mean to suggest if we were to ever have those dark days to live in that we should be chumps, but united we stand, divided we fall.