A person who is poor often is placed in situations where they make what seem to them to be reasonable decisions, decisions that to others are clearly mistakes.
They may take out high-interest loans to stay temporarily afloat. They may skip college, or even high school, so they can start bringing in full-time — if minimum-wage — paychecks right away. They may engage in criminal or other self-destructive activities seeking immediate gratification, economic and otherwise.
A community that is poor can also be moved to make bad decisions because, like an individual of limited means and few obvious prospects, they may think they have no other choice.