Detached physically from the sight of their former neighbors in need, their thoughts about the city fade, their sense of social responsibility recedes. With time, they learn to ignore it. Stage 3 Back in the cities, the old industrial economic base continues to shrink and government budgets shrivel. The downsized federal government has pulled out. The bulk of the middle class has gone.
Municipalities are broke.
Social problems fester and breed entirely new ones. The poverty and misery increase to unbearable levels. In desperation, people break out in extreme violence, exacerbating the downward spiral. Stage 4 People will do whatever it takes to survive. With few options, many of those remaining in the cities build their lives around crime.