In my experience, your described state of affairs is common in poor economies. Robberies and kidnapping ransoms are relatively frequent. Shootings are rare but

In my experience, your described state of affairs is common in poor economies. Robberies and kidnapping ransoms are relatively frequent. Shootings are rare but still way too frequent. Workers often go unpaid and it's not unusual for wages to total less than transportation costs. Landlords are known to have poor memories about paid rent and it's not uncommon for deliveries to be stolen and containers disappear. There's a real risk of valuable goods ordered internationally "disappearing" in customs. The countervailing factors are, the poor are mostly ignored (except for kidnappings of large groups of children) while the rich can afford private security at an equilibrium price point where betrayal is not rational. Although crime rates are high, most do not participate because people are good for the most part. The major drags are scams, unpaid workers, phone theft (a phone is more likely to be stolen than a laptop), equipment sabotage (from wiring to rail tracks), political campaign related violence and most especially, theft, corruption and embezzlement by government officials. In an environment of rampant corruption, minimizing the surface area exposed to trust is a rational preference. It might even be helpful in exiting a high corruption steady state.