we need to be careful here....it is too easy to ratchet our understanding to a place that contradicts scripture. John tells us in his epistle that the primary characteristic of God is Love and from it flows all else. If we deduce that darkness in this context represents misery / destruction as being in existence I think we've taken the wrong path. On the other hand if we see darkness as representative of 'without God' it would be more consistent with John's premise.
Why did God make a place where He was not, or "without Him" as you phrase it?