Throughout the first part of the book Truman Capote describes the town of Holcomb and all of the people who inhibit this small Kansas farming town. He talks about the tranquil setting of the town in rural Kansas and also the normalcy throughout the day to day lives of the people involved. This tactic is used to show that anyone is vulnerable to a merciless attack like the one that the book is based one. Capote also uses the descriptions of the characters to show the trust that all of the citizens had towards each other. Capote mentions that often times, the citizens would leave their doors unlocked and houses “open” knowing that they could trust everyone in their village. The Clutter family was shown as popular, prominent, and well liked by all in the community. This description of the well off Clutters shows that even the most perfect families in the world are not invincible to the everyday dangers that exist in the outside world.