Throughout Dry, Neal Shusterman shows how society falls apart when a water shortage afflicts California and few people are prepared to weather the state-imposed Tap Out. This action completely eliminates the distribution of water into private homes. The resulting severe lack of water forces people to be creative, and some people join together to seek solutions to this massive problem. It is more typical, however, that people turn against each other. Many of those who band together in the short term quickly reveal their self-serving motives.

One well-developed example of this social breakdown occurs at the McCracken house as the family prepares to leave (section 8). Although the father had prepared fairly well, they decide it is time to relocate into another, better-fortified shelter. With their permission, a neighbor, Alyssa, and her friends move in to the McCrackens’ place because it is the best equipped in the area.

Some people knew of—and resented—Mr. McCracken’s preparations, and an error on Alyssa’s part alerts others that there is water at the house. A desperate group of water-seekers soon converges outside. When Kelton McCracken hears loud pounding on the door, he thinks, “The wolves have finally arrived.” Efforts at self-defense result in a horrible tragedy, followed by a hostile invasion by what has become a violent mob.