Even though this is an early story, I wonder why the man and woman feel the need to flee Superman so strongly....
I agree. I did some thinking on that, way back when I got the script, and since the point is brought up, I offer the following up...
I would like to think that in a very exterior point of view Superman's creation can be said to be intended to shake up the status quo. And by "status quo" I simply mean the efforts of a group (not necessarily individuals, but a generalized concept intending to indicate the actions of a group would not generally be as sane as the actions of an individual) to maintain a course of action whether the course is right (helpful) or wrong (harmful). E.g. (and boy I hate to use the analogy) like a school of fish trying to panic their way out of a danger but getting herded into a fishing net. (It's not that bad, but sometimes I wonder.) But for my purposes, just the actions taken by a group to keep whatever course of action unchanged, despite how harmfully destructive it might be.
If you look at many of the early stories around the time and prior, Superman took on wrongs that anybody themselves could have handled. E.g. his 1st story he stood up against the status quo to prevent a wrongful execution, wife beating, and later - the status quo that allowed big business to take away worker's rights (the mine story). Sure - he was assisted on the basis that he was "super" (with powers and abilities far beyond the common man) - but still, he dealt with societal ills that any man or woman with courage could also do. Superman took an interest in an individual and stood against all who opposed or allowed this individual to fail, suffer, or get hurt, or die. To illustrate further, in the case of the 1st story, the "justice" status quo was maintained by not really getting to the bottom of the matter - and for his efforts Superman was stabbed or shot at, by both the real criminal and technically, the justice authorites (yes - it was the butler, but trying to keep the govenor "defended", rather than have enough guts to receive the message and pass it). And on and on.
This activity was prior to the creation of real "super-villians", but Superman was basically standing up and disagreeing and doing something about what others basically became inactive about and just let happen. However, because he was being so in disagreement with the standard operating basis of groups of people who'd rather preserve a quiet reality and tolerate injustice - he would be viewed as a type of monster who was uncontrollable, dangerous and a threat by them, unless you knew him. He was probably crucified as such in the media at the time - hence people panic when he arrives.
Frankly, this type of attitude exists even to this day. Any individual who stands against the grain of the comfortable and tolerable (and by this is meant - shutting one's eyes to the injustice, dishonesty of actual criminals and turning one's head from the pain and suffering of others) or attempts to get off the treadmill - generally tends to become the black sheep of their family or if any public status, get crucified in the media and made into a sort of monster themselves - depending on how good their PR firm is.
But really, if Superman was just a man with no extraordinary abilities outside of exceptional courage, you could read into those stories as a type of social or political commentary work protesting wrongs committed by criminals trying to get away with their crimes by either hiding or getting into positions of trust in society.
In the beginning, Superman stood up against very real problems, and stood up against vested interests. Having super powers made it possible for him not to be injured by those he opposed, a very real wish for anyone who would like to fight against wrongs. It becomes even more interesting then to note that ultimately Superman evolves into the biggest defender of status quo (boy scout), and his peer, Batman, takes on the original role Superman had.
Ultimately, the morals I get from those stories, and yes, there are some, were you're always better off maintaining your own integrity to do what's right despite what the group is doing that is actually wrong. Better to think for yourself than agree with any group, and my parents' favorite, "If all your friends were jumping of a bridge, would you?"
The salient point is that in an unelightened age, you generally are the "monster" or "black sheep" or other social pariah if you aren't doing what "everyone else is" - despite the rightness of what you're doing.
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