Where did the people of Qumran spend the night? Based upon the archaeological excavations at the site, it seems that the main building did not serve as a dwelling, but was the center of the community's activities during the day. Most of the inhabitants slept nearby - in caves, tents, and huts - as attested by the mezuzot, combs, oil lamps, and pottery found in the caves. A network of paths, on which nails were found that seem to have fallen from the sandals of people who walked these paths in ancient times, provided a daily link between the caves and the main building.

The sectarians chose to live in the desert, despite the hardships this involved. They perceived the desert as a symbol of purity, an eschatological paradise, and a haven from social and cultural corruption, a view also expressed in the Pentateuch and the books of the Prophets. They thus chose to live in the desert in order to cut themselves off from the world of impurity, convinced that in the End of Days, they would return to Jerusalem and wrest the Temple from the hands of the Wicked Priest.