in the short story "the outcasts of poker flat", what is the conflict between man and nature

Experimenting with the effectiveness of vigilante justice, the residents of Poker Flat hope to improve the town by expelling a group of undesirables. Among these objectionable characters are professional gambler John Oakhurst; a prostitute known as Duchess; her madam. Mother Shipton; and Uncle Billy, the town drunkard and a suspected thief. The foursome is escorted to the edge of Poker Flat and "forbidden to return at die peril of their lives." So, it becomes plain to see that we have the town vs these "improper persons," hence your question. People, however, are seldom what they seem or are labled as by so called "righteous folk" which adds complexity to this story.