In biblical times all debts were canceled every seven years. Everyone was given a fresh start at the same time every seven years whether they were current with their debts or not. Even citizens who had sold themselves into slavery were set free in the year of jubilee, which occurred every fifty years. Compared to some of these biblical laws, our law is more strict. If things have gotten so bad that the debtor really can't pay, bankruptcy is a good thing for the debtor and the creditor too, since the creditor is now able to stop wasting resources trying to collect.
Large debts can be like quick sand.
The harder one tries to get out, the deeper one gets. Most bankruptcies seen in this office are filed long after they should have been. Chapter 7 bankruptcy clients are often advised to stop making payments on their credit cards. This frees up enough money so that they can pay their attorney fees and still have some left over. When there is a mortgage foreclosure in progress, bankruptcy can often be a tool to save the family home.