I think the central idea could be that the towns are politics
evidence: the reluctance of people to reject outdated traditions,rules,laws,and practices
That would be D. sight.
Reading those lines, you imagine, or "see" what is being described.
He has random mood swings, and he "Turns into his darker alter ego". I think they would be wary of him,but they would do everything in their power to help him.
What would happen to writing if paragraphs didn't exist is that when the reader reads the writing, he/she might skip a sentence or even get confused. And then you might not understand it yourself. It can affect the reader by not understanding what is going on in the writing if it's a story.
