If stealing got easier, to compensate we might need to increase punishment, decrease punishment delay, increase surveillance (decrease privacy), increase spending in security, decrease long term planning, decrease owning some types of assets (and vice versa), decrease exchanges / agreements / contracts.
More labour wasted on guards (and surveilling the guards), sturdier barriers, traps, defensive training and tools, etc.
Low-trust societies where interactions with strangers are risky mean clannishness / arms-length exchanges decrease, partially compensated by more transactions with trusted parties (family and allies).
Just some thoughts.
If stealing got easier, to compensate we might need to increase punishment, decrease punishment delay, increase surveillance (decrease privacy), increase spending in security, decrease long term planning, decrease owning some types of assets (and vice versa), decrease exchanges / agreements / contracts.
Also, day-to-day behavior would change.
More labour wasted on guards (and surveilling the guards), sturdier barriers, traps, defensive training and tools, etc.
Low-trust societies where interactions with strangers are risky mean clannishness / arms-length exchanges decrease, partially compensated by more transactions with trusted parties (family and allies).