Following rules is harder when you're poor because poverty forces people into "survival mode" - the sort of last resort decision making when unmet needs overwhelm all other concerns.

Anatole France captured this perfectly in The Red Lily: "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

The millionaire doesn't consider stealing groceries, but the single mother on food stamps does - not because of character, but circumstance. The system of punishment via fees also multiplies this inequality. The fines for overdraft charges or late payments might annoy the wealthy, but can break someone living paycheck to paycheck.

There may not be an answer to these inequalities, but it's worth acknowledging that it's easier to walk the straight and narrow when you're not walking a tightrope.