The opening.

Page 1-6
How the episode impacted on you and what the writer did to evoke this response.
the writer uses dark and cold imagery to create a post apocalyptic scene, 'the dark and cold' this creates a feeling of misery and a depressive deathscape. It is dark even in the day this creates a constant dismal and depressing atmosphere.
'cold glaucoma' -this presents the idea that the world is going slowly blind, losing sight of humanity and what once was the world. Everywhere is bleak and hazy. 
IF THE WORLD LOOKED IN THE MIRROR IT'S REFLECTION WOULD BE BLURRED, IT WOULDN'T RECOGNISE ITSELF. The world is losing its memory of how beautiful and colourful it was, this memory is slowly fading as people forget the world of the past and turn into savage beasts through desperation, as humanity is gradually lost the world is plummeting into an endless spiral to complete and utter darkness.
'stinking robes' suggests lack of hygiene as well as suffering and sickness
They are not safe- suggested by his need for binoculars, he checks for sign of danger. The boy (in the mans dream) leads the man into a cave where they are "safe" but there is a creature there, dreams reflect feeling, the man must be anxious as though a creature (Other humans) is likely to attack. ON EDGE -he must have experienced unfriendly humans before.
'alabaster' -hard, white milky imagery, pure and solid.

Plot progression.
What happens next?
'any trace of standing smoke' He searches for threat from other humans, this suggests they will come into contact with humans at some point in  the novel.