> generating good content for free
They are not generating it for free. They sell themes at $50 pop to at least 100 people. They make their $5,000. They also charge $100/hr for support.
> those 1000s of lines of code exist just so that the end user doesn't have to mess with the
Until things break. The developer goes away, etc.
> Do people really pay 1000 to adjust a word press theme?
Depends on what level of adjustment. If I charge them $1000 they will get $1,000 worth of services. But I am not willing to engage a client unless they are at least willing to spend that much. Not worth my time.