When things get really bad such as the communist created Volga famine and Ukrainian famine, the fewer people who suspect you may have something, the safer you will all be.
In these type situations, anti-hoarding laws will be in effect. If discovered by authorities, all in the household are classified as hoarders and are subject to summary execution. Don't think you can store provisions in the attic or in wall voids, all those food hiding tricks will be known and searched for.
When cannibalism sets in, desperate people do desperate things. If you don't want to have to use deadly force against your neighbor or best friend, don't give them any reason to suspect you have provisions.
For certain, if you are sent to the Gulag far from anywhere and at some point two inmates approach you about joining them in an escape, don't do it. After about two days outside of camp, their plan is to use you as food for the remainder of their journey.
Don't believe me? Read accounts of the Russian famines and the Gulags.
Oh bad things happened in Russia. There is a huge gap in between where having family and friends will increase your odds.
Further, how are you going to keep your wife unaware when you arent starving and have stuff to eat? If you are the kind of person who can let their family starve while you don’t then you indeed have learned from Stalin.
For us, it's simpler. We went through an unpleasant experience with being snowed in, and after that my wife agreed that it made sense to prepare for extended emergencies. She just said she didn't want to even be aware of how I was preparing, so I take care of everything quietly.