> It's the deafness to the people around him that I find astonishing. I mean, you could characterize it this way. Or you could just say "some people aren't pay

> It's the deafness to the people around him that I find astonishing. I mean, you could characterize it this way. Or you could just say "some people aren't paying full attention to cashiers, especially when they're tired/stressed/traveling with children. Really, I'm not saying he was OK to "steal" something, but are you really so shocked at someone not paying the most attention to a routine encounter like paying money? That part is completely standard behavior.