Foreman remarks to Cameron that "[House] already thinks that life is nasty, brutish, and long," referencing a quote by political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, that life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Hobbes founded the social contract tradition, something House abhors and avoids at all costs.
The opening protest scene takes place in Pennsylvania, where fracking (a highly controversial operation using water and sand to create fractures in the earth to release natural gas) is expected, and when done improperly, can pollute. State police can be seen, identified by their gray uniforms, hats, and Pennsylvania State Police patches.