The point isn't that Lucas should break the law; the point is that the laws are stupid and should be changed, as illustrated by the egregious situation one can

The point isn't that Lucas should break the law; the point is that the laws are stupid and should be changed, as illustrated by the egregious situation one can be found in when making a simple mistake. 'Appeal to emotion' here is just basic compassion for someone who does not deserve what happened to them, and hope that similar situations won't happen again.