What can you infer about the cause of the starving time

You can assume it had slavery, jealousy, fights, deaths, and illness and so on.
Reason: Deaths and illness because you need food to eat and keep you, well, alive. But there are also some foods that are very healthy for you and prevent you from getting to sick.
Slavery because some people would force others so make them food or travel a long distance to find them some food.
And jealousy and fights, because if someone were to have more than another there would be jealousy and fights happening among both men and women. 

this answer is truerealistic people fit wellinto skilled.