I was thinking about the era before before the “gig economy” started.
That norm is much easier to follow when most employers pay a living wage, housing costs are affordable, and employees aren’t stuck in a cycle of debt because they’re borrowing against their paychecks. 
Excessive corporate greed leading to more crime is not new. What’s worse now is they’ve figured out more ways to make money from having more cops/private security, convincing people to buy guns or tech to protect themselves, and putting people in prison. Criminalizing poverty (and putting increasing numbers of workers on a path that leads there) fits in with that plan. So, in too many places, TPTB have little incentive to change things for the good of the public.
