L’imperatiu categòric

Clara G., an associate professor of Ethics at the Faculty of Philosophy, is in mid-crisis. Now in her fifties, separated, without a job at the university and on the verge of homelessness, she starts suffering some strange attacks. She faints often, hears persistent noises, and is invaded by dark thoughts. Clara G. has been a part of the system but is moving closer and closer to its margins. As she drifts, she has a few run-ins with men, until a chance discovery takes place: an extremely sharp kitchen knife.
What should be the guidelines for their behaviour in an increasingly hostile environment? What are the ethical boundaries of a system that only allows people to survive at the expense of the misery of others?