So... people who'd been misled into making bad decisions and were being given help because they really needed it, made you feel like you were being punished by

So... people who'd been misled into making bad decisions and were being given help because they really needed it, made you feel like you were being punished by not getting similar help you didn't really need because you were making OK money and had avoided making the same kind of mistake? IMO, that's a really glass-half-empty way of looking at the situation. You did good! Try to give yourself a break. People like you who didn't fall for the sleazy mortgage brokers helped limit the damage that the rest of society had to deal with. And maybe next time some society-wide con goes down, if you (or someone you love) is unlucky enough to get stung by it (because none of us are smart enough to spot the con-men 100% of the time), hopefully you (or they) will get the help that's available that time around when it is really needed.