The core system is about 8000 lines of code. The C compiler is 1400. Its memory footprint is extremely small (1MB to have a C compiler running on bare metal in the PC architecture). From here, you have a system capable of building C programs as well as bootstrapping itself.
This is level of simplicity is staggering and empowering -- it is completely reasonable to read and understand every single line of code in Dusk OS. This would be incomprehensible in something like Debian.
Even if you do have access to a modern computer which is not fried, you still need a whole bunch of devices, mass storage stuff and mains electricity to be able to boot it, and then on to find and boot some software.
The OS above would run in things like graphing calculator cpus, 8-bit video games and other "almost non-computer" devices which actually have simple but useable CPUs. It would be better than going back to the 1900s.
Virgil's "collapse" mindset, to me, is about building resilience and independence, and IMO Dusk OS is fantastic at this purpose.
Debian needs a little bit more.