Gord is echoing a common theme -- how the law is more harsh to the poor than to the rich. The theme occurs repeatedly in Les Miserables, and in the famous quotation by Anatole France:
"The Law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich, as well as the poor, to sleep under the bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
Any father wants (and is expected) to provide the necessities of life -- food, shelter, clothing -- to his children. When that becomes impossible by "honest" means, it becomes necessary by any means available.
The significance of this line to "Circle of Steel" is that the pattern of poverty is repeated in successive generations -- a viscious circle of want and neglect.
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"And the laughter came too easy for life to pass me by."
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