| I'm thinking because he was under duress , he felt like he should do something , anything , considering the situation . His wife was putting pressure on him to figure out a way out of the mess they found themselves in as a result of what transpired just over the hill . It may be a reach , but i think the wind actually did reach them , but as i explained in the previous post , they were immune to it's effects . By that logic , that would signify that the two boys that were with them were also immune . My guess is that this toxin that is released is a response to an emotional environment , a physical reaction to " negative " emotions . Brain waves act on electrical impulses , and there byproduct is emotion and thoughts . The nihilism and cynicism that the populace was exuding caused the plants to release a defensive chemical , somewhat like if someone insults you and you have a reaction , an emotional one and a physical one . Elliot , his wife and the little girl ( i'm thinking the two boys also ) , didn't appear to elicit this response from the plant life , trees and such , so they were safe from the wind at that juncture , although they didn't know it at the time , so they ran in a panic . Now you may think , why did the trees even bother to " conjure " the wind ( i know it's a plot hole ) in an attempt to infect the group that was immune , i'm thinking it was a residual effect , akin to an explosion . If you noticed , the wind died down eventually and everything was calm once again , once the chemicals were neutralized by the group that Elliot was leading . About the old woman , i think it was simply there to make her appear even more insane than she already was . It was also to make people think that maybe the woman had murdered the little girl , that's why it's slowly revealed what the object is on her bed . It's a good old fashioned horror technique . I'm also assuming this woman had a little girl that she may have lost due to sickness or disease , or something else , and that's why she was so bitter , nasty , and , once again nihilistic about the world . It's also why i think she had the most brutal and painful suicide as a result of her exposure to the toxin , it has a quantitative effect , the more unbalanced and cynical you are , the more brutal the reaction you have to it . As a side note , i still think , the toxin had another effect on her , she seemed to have the desire to harm others . In every other situation , the affected persons only wanted to end their own life , this lady seemed to want to harm herself and others . It could be that proportional aspect of the toxin , she was just about as nihilistic and hateful as you can get , so harming herself wasn't the only reaction she had . About your last question , see above , about how Elliot and his wife and the girl were immune . Immune was the first step , then in the end , their positive emotions rendered all of the plant life's reactions moot . Remember how it was mentioned that they can communicate with each other , the plants and trees , when Elliot went out to meet his wife , he gave off an emotional chemical that didn't neutralize the toxin like had been the case in the past leading up that moment , his emotional " aura " , the electrical signals prevented the toxins from being released anymore , and this was communicated to the other trees in the affected area , thereby ending the threat . It wasn't just him though , and this is where i think Night has somewhat slyly referenced the bible , it was the power of three that ended the threat . Elliot , his wife and the little girl , the " holy trinity " . Their love for life , living things , each other , and of their fellow man is what ended the reaction the trees were having . It was Elliot's positive demeanor passed on to his wife and the girl that gave the group the power end the horrific situation . Remember the boy in his science class who didn't care to learn about science , Elliot encouraged him , he inspired the boy to see things differently and to appreciate what he has . That's just a little scene that may appear awkward and unimportant , but it comes into play later on and it defines his character , thereby setting up the finale . poor man's explanation by Joe Vector |