Our capitalist society will gladly spend $100 a day to punish someone for being hungry instead of $10 to feed them because it a very cost-effective way of teaching the rest of us to stay in line lest we too get the stick.
In regards to making the line go up, creating human misery is a desirable side-effect as it allows more (temporary) distractions and relief to be sold. This behavior by those riding high on the line is 100% logical. It is a system where empathy and kindness are weaknesses, a system where the optimal behavior is psychopathic.
If you are satisfied with how it has played out for you, help maintain the status quo by being cold and uncaring. Beware: Any attempts to assist others without extracting maximum compensation could disrupt the balance and tip this system into different behavior patterns.