It's funny, I've watched these documentaries about this guy going about seeing what kind of scams are ongoing in major cities. Pickpockets, taxis ripping off customers, vendors giving counterfeit change... The guy confronts them and asks them to explain their scheme. Almost universally the thief/scam artist/whatever justifies their actions: "I have to feed my family!" .. These people aren't evil, they're desperate.
Of course there are definitely some real straight-up colossally destructive people out there who engage in seriously despicable acts. I still can't bring myself to call it "evil". I'd rather just understand it (and know how to avoid it). I mean, I was picturing like murderers when I wrote that, but then I realized it equally applies to say, bloodthirsty dictators, or someone who decides to raise a $12 medication to $750. It doesn't help much to label it as evil, but it does help my understanding of the world in which I live to at least try to make sense of it. It's not like they have a little demon on their shoulder.
I don't have a perfect thesis here but I wanted to share my thoughts on that topic.