I didn't learn about coal/making torches right away; I just new that bad things came in the night, and could climb in/shoot through windows and such. And there weren't beds in the game yet, so I dug myself a little cave, blocked the entrance in with dirt, and made a little hole in the ceiling over a pit so I could see when the sun came up. Then I spent a long and desolate night hiding from the bad things while I willed the sun to rise!