Read the excerpt from Act 2 of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. CHARLIE (CONT’D)

He comes walkin' out of the darkness—how am I supposed to

know who he was?

(he grabs Steve)

Steve—you know why I shot! How was I supposed to know he wasn't a monster or something?

(he grabs Don now)

We're all scared of the same thing. I was just tryin' to . . . tryin' to protect my home, that's all! Look, all of you, that's all I was tryin' to do.

(he looks down wildly at the body)

I didn't know it was somebody we knew! I didn't know—

Which statement best reflects the theme expressed in this excerpt?

Fear, combined with crowd mentality, leads people to make poor decisions.
People should not be blamed for decisions they make in the heat of the moment.
A crowd is always more powerful in intense situations than a single person.
A group of people is responsible for the actions of each of its members.