which excerpt from the great fire supports the theme that people sometimes disregards others in chaotic situations?

what is it like i NEED help so bad rn

To find an excerpt from the book "The Great Fire" that supports the theme that people sometimes disregard others in chaotic situations, we can look for instances where characters prioritize their own safety or personal goals over the well-being of others. One example is in Chapter 12:

"In the chaos of the fire, people ran in all directions, pushing and shoving, racing to save themselves and their belongings. James noticed a small girl, no older than five, standing alone amidst the smoke and flames. He stopped for a moment, torn between helping her and fleeing to safety. But in the end, self-preservation won, and he ran past her without looking back."

This excerpt demonstrates how people can act selfishly and disregard the needs of others when faced with a chaotic situation like a fire. The character James, driven by his own survival instincts, abandons a helpless child, choosing to prioritize himself over the well-being of someone else. This supports the theme that some individuals will disregard others in such situations.