The Boots Theory has a fairly simple explanation: it’s easier to take advantage of the poor, who cannot afford the luxury of an argument. The poor can’t hire lawyers, they can’t take time away from their jobs, and they’re always busy with the next crisis. When something cheaply made breaks, they’ll fix it with duct tape or otherwise make do.
If someone sells a rich person a pig in a poke, the rich person calls their lawyer and says “take them to court.”
The suppliers know this, and don’t want to be sued. They’ll sell quality goods at a premium, attracting the moneyed and discouraging the poor; and cheap goods at lower margins in larger quantities.
TL;DR: Always punch down.
