I've always thought about that but never experienced it personally for better or worse, funny I had a friend ask me this same question a couple nights ago. I've been broke but not to the point where I didn't have money or options to eat. When I say broke I mean I didn't have money to go on a vacation or buy something stupid and this is when I was much younger. I used to be a heavy gambler, well I still gamble but I can better afford it better now and haven't gone down to 0 since I was in my early 20's and even then like I said it's not like I didn't have money to eat, have a car, housing or pay small bills. We sure as shit weren't wealthy but my family always owned business so I was always always working, I always had multiple jobs even when I didn't want them so even if I was broke today I would be okay by tomorrow. That and I come from a stable household so if it ever came down to it I could go to them, as embarrassing as that was and now it's the opposite where I take care of my parents and sisters so I'm definitely paying it back and then some. Though I know a lot of households even being stable once you reach a certain age you're cut off, it wasn't like that for me.
What really opened my eyes and made me think about it was this chick I've been dating around with. She's a good girl very intelligent and did all the right things in life, has a masters and recently got a very good rewarding job but for a very long time as an adult had a shit job but it was all she could find with her degree to try and move up. She told me stories about how she didn't have money for food would go to taco bell and get ONE taco and give them the debit card and act all shocked that it didn't go through and sometimes they would just give her the taco and sometimes they wouldn't. It wasn't as if she was irresponsible with her money or didn't work hard it was just that all the money she had barely covered her bills and it was what it was, she didn't have any luxuries and still doesn't. I always chided people who are broke as being lazy and not go getters but the older I get, I'm 34, and seeing people my age who are from the same kind of environment as me and working hard and just can't make it I'm starting to realize how wrong I am for that. The funny part is that it's usually people with college degrees who can't make it because they are stuck with loans and pursuing jobs with their degrees which are worthless. Those guys who worked in the factory out of high school are usually doing pretty well, society has changed and the old rules don't apply anymore people are having trouble adapting.
Anyway I'm rambling the thread title just touched me off, long story long everyone has different circumstances and I'm learning to be more sympathetic towards people who are having trouble in life as I get older instead of just labeling them.