Mortals are punished by their sins rather than for them. If these are the greatest of commandments, then perhaps the most debilitating sin is a refusal to love. The allowance often asked for by sinners regarding these may contribute more to negative family relationships or even the level of crime in a society than supposed. Discourtesy can escalate to hostility, which in turn can escalate to violence. Those refusing to live the truth rationalize and justify their wrongdoing.
Sin blinds one to the truth in any given situation.
Nathan the prophet told king David a story of a man who possessed many flocks of sheep, but who, nevertheless, slaughtered the pet ewe lamb of a poor family to feed a guest. David was incensed. He judged that such a man should restore to the wronged family fourfold and be executed. When a truth is not lived, it is seen falsely. Even personal guilt for sin is seen by the unrepentant as having been placed on them by someone else, and not as a symptom of their own hardness against the truth.