Did people just keep going on living in the former Empire despite the collapse of government?
Was there lawlessness? How long after the empire fell apart did its people abandon the idea of Rome?
Are there any historical references as to what it was like to live in the period directly after the fall?
I'm sure someone cool and smart will come along and write a new cool and smart answer, but while you wait, there's actually a pretty big section of the FAQ devoted to the decline and fall of Rome / the transition to the dark ages: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/darkages#wiki_the_fall_of_the_western_roman_empire