[CarbyAu]

I see it as easy as mental conditioning.

For example,

Lots of people throw rubbish "away".

But when you make clear (by say a trip to the landfill dump) that there is no magical "away" that will swallow rubbish forever, they begin to think differently.

In this case, Ngo was stealing from a magical pool of people who "would only be minimally inconvenienced", those "Others" not of his social group that are rich and can afford it.

But when confronted with a direct result of actions, thinks differently...

Would I trust Ngo now though? Nope. Ngo burnt more "trust" than an Aussie bushfire disaster.