And there have been plenty of times when the armed thugs have staged a coup and overthrown their masters. In the absence of civic order, personal relationships

And there have been plenty of times when the armed thugs have staged a coup and overthrown their masters. In the absence of civic order, personal relationships between the elites are what matters. Your thugs can easily take everything you own, but they don't inherit your relationships. A billionaire in an isolated self-sufficient bunker has nothing to offer to thugs who are already inside. A billionaire in a bunker that relies on trade with other nearby bunkers is in a much stronger position.