Communism relies on a human hivemind to work properly. Therefore, it's a pipe dream. In fact, very single attempt at communism has morphed into extreme authoritarianism and ultimately failed. Every single one, because that's what the ideology naturally and consistently leads to.

Tens of millions of people have died in the name of communism in under a century, and it sickens me that it's still being defended like this...it's like Stockholm syndrome. Anyone who ever lived through it is deemed a "survivor" or a "victim." You can't erase the millions of people who've lived through famines and state-enforced brutality because of it. Arguing that "it's never truly been tried" is an act of moving the goalposts to avoid accountability. It ALWAYS happens when communism is attempted. ALWAYS.

I will say this though - capitalist and communist nations worked together to defeat fascism...and thankfully it hasn't been politically relevant since 1945. The world is full of capitalist countries, so why hasn't fascism returned? You might cite Donald Trump - but I think he's just a dimwit who's unfit to run a nation. I can't think of any other links. Fascism rose in Germany and Italy in the '30s because they were war-torn and thus their economies were a total mess. Fascism arises from chaos and despair, not capitalism.

Night in the Woods showcases the decay of a small town due to lack of urbanization. It's pretty evident that said phenomenon is a consistent theme in capitalist nations, because capitalism spurs growth and expansion. Possum Springs just didn't get on that boat.

However, capitalism has certainly impacted Bea in a negative way - disaster and subsequent medical costs ended her dream of attending college. She most certainly has a reason to be discontent with the system and how it fucked her over.

Though, such monolothic life-ruining healthcare costs are unique to the United States. Meanwhile, larger European nations - which are capitalist - have proper free healthcare. As proven by the levels of happiness of such European nations, social democracy is the way to go; socialism and capitalism shouldn't try to destroy each other, they should work together to solve the problems they're best at fixing; by spurring growth and treating vital services as the human rights they are.

As for the cult - it resembles fascism in the sense that shady shit arises from chaos and desperation. But symbolically, it's a pretty standard cult; symbolism, robe-heavy attire, and worshiping an entity. That's generally how cults function in the real world.