The murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, turned the town from a peaceful and friendly to frightened and uneasy. After the murder of the Clutter family on the night of November 14^th the people in Holcomb, were unsure of who the murderer was, and did not trust one another. The people “believed the murderer was among themselves” and were not the once amiable neighbors (Capote 88). Relatives of the Clutter, Arthur, the brother of Mr. Clutter believed that the murderer was within ten miles from the house of the Clutters. Arthur saying this means that he, just like the other citizens of Holcomb thought that it was a man who lived within the community. Once the community found out none of the doors of the Clutter home were locked, they went to Garden city to purchase locks. The proprietor of the Garden City hardware stores said, “ locks and bolts are the fastest going item...they just want them to be bold”(Capote 88). Holcomb citizens going to Garden City to purchase locks for their houses is a sign of panic. Before the murder the houses were unlocked, but after the murder all the houses needed to be locked in case the murderer wanted to enter their house. The second part of the quote that says that, “ they wanted them to be bold” shows that the people did not have a preference in what lock they purchase, but if it is strong enough to keep an intruder from coming into the home. The last sign of Holcomb's change after the murder, was the appearance of the houses. As a group of hunters from Colorado passed the city they saw “windows ablaze...brightly lit rooms...entire families...sat the whole night listening.” (88). Every room in every house was bright, with no areas of darkness. The light shows how petrified the people of Holcomb were the murder might happen again. Families sat together since they could not stand the fact of being alone with the murder still on the loose.