There were some upright people.
But majority of the people were selfish and simply didn't care. Since they had the power, why should they care for others unrelated to them?
No matter how loud the cries of those from the bottom, those people at the top would not care about them at all. They just wanted to enrich themselves, pocketing the money that should have been used to make the lives of these people better and instead make countless troubles for them.
Again and again.
Until the situation caused these people at the bottom suffered yet those at the top would not care in the slightest bit.
Showing appropriate kindness that barely cost them nothing for the sake of their support.
And when they got what they wanted, they simply abandoned the people, not caring about their needs and words in the slightest bit.
For these people, there was nothing they could do.