It seems that CERTAIN crimes or hard times are punished overmuch: a shoplifter stealing groceries and a homeless person getting a ticket for sleeping on the street are kicking people when they're down (and can't afford to pay the fines!). But fraud, be it big money banksters or small time phishing scammers - doesn't get punished, when the banks could most assuredly pay and even the phishing scammers have enough money to buy computing equipment and build websites and whatnot, and are way better off than the mom shoplifting diapers or the homeless guy sleeping on a bench. And in the not-illegal department, your example of someone not being able to pay back a couple hundred bucks is hounded for years, but mining companies destroy the local environment, launder the profits, and then claim bankruptcy so they don't have to pay for the clean up. Meanwhile, you CAN'T discharge student loan debt if you as an individual claim bankruptcy!
Our society gives extra benefits to those more privileged that snowballs their privilege, and punishes those least privileged that snowballs their suffering.
This will either change, or there will be guillotines, because people can't take it much longer.