Read the excerpt from Act 2 of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. FIGURE ONE Understand the procedure now? Just stop a few of their machines and radios and telephones and lawn mowers . . . throw them into darkness for a few hours and then you just sit back and watch the pattern. Which theme is reflected in this excerpt? New technology is a dangerous tool in the hands of the wrong people. Being without light can cause people to become defensive and out of control. Causing panic is just as destructive as any weapon or physical force. Material possessions often contribute to conflict between neighbors.