Romero's "ghouls" are an explicit commentary on corporate/consumerist enslavement. And just about every major Zombie fiction after the zombies are created by amoral corporate/government entities. It's very surface level reading of Zombie fiction to view is "the monster is other people"

Counterpoint: how evil is Umbrella compared to, say, Peter thiel

Its a disease that spreads, can infect and control you. It moved to the metaphoric control of consumerism. Buy the product. Buy the next. Swarm on black Friday. Run over other shoppers. Consume. Consume. Consume. Modern Zombie fiction is about the enslavement by corporations.