The other side of On the Road

I saw some interesting sights of animals in the not-so-wild, and thought what I saw was interesting, and nice to see. But I saw some other sights that were disturbing, the number of properties for sale in the 35 mile stretch of road between my house and my destination. Mostly the houses for sale are older homes, some showing signs of chronic neglect, others suffering from more recent lack of maintenance and repair. They are the kinds of older houses that we think of as long-standing residences, which several generations of a family called home. Now, for whatever reason, the for sale signs stand on the front lawns where some owners are waiting to move away, while many have already left the houses to fend for themselves. Several big old sprawling farms are listed for sale, the livestock already sold. Something about the still working farms looks a little sad, as if they know what lies ahead. I know cows can't predict the future (except maybe approaching rain storms), but the barnyards seem for the most part eerily empty, with few landowners observing their own properties. Even the once standard-issue farm collie is rarely seen. Mid-day in the country is almost a ghost town.
In stark contrast to the solitude of all that land with no good use to put it to was ominous evidence of too many people crowded into too small a space. One main through route to the adjoining town has a police barrier closing the road. Traffic is detoured around the site where a home was leveled to the ground when it exploded. No official cause has been given pending investigation, but the talk is that at least 10 people were in the house when it exploded, taking several lives with it. Another home in the area has burnt to the ground, with three people inside, who were apparently murdered prior to the fire. Again, several generations living in hot and crowded conditions, with not much hope of lifestyle improvement can likely contribute to violence, especially with the mentally unstable.
And those in charge have an answer, right? And, remarkably, those who aspire to be in charge have an even better remedy.