In my storied career involving some who were acting out of desperation, I have witnessed truth taking a back seat to need, real or perceived. There were, most likely still are, certain benefits afforded to "Battered Women." Seemingly decent women are willing to lie to get these modest benefits, low class variety. Women who are born into a higher class system are most likely not immune to lying either, and in their case, the benefit would be much higher, like maybe a cash settlement somewhere down the line.
I listened, in no official capacity, as a woman claimed to be a victim of "spousal" abuse. (This is not a police report, but a visit to an agency that has funding dedicated to helping the unfortunate.) She, who was extremely heavy, alleged that her significant other, who was a foot shorter than her and weighed at least a few hundred lbs. less, beat her. He was out of the country at the time so of course there were no legal proceedings against him, but there was some reward involved, maybe Christmas presents for the kids.
The claim was that an ex-boyfriend burned down and totally destroyed the trailer home of a woman and her kids. She wasn't home at the time, but a neighbor had seen an unknown man pouring gasoline around the trailer and setting it ablaze. The witness could not identify the suspect and he had fled, and that was some months ago, so there was no sense in even filing a police report. I forget what the consideration was here, but some item or relief that was badly needed. It might have been a Thanksgiving Food Basket.
I knew the truth to be that the trailer was in such bad shape and infested with trash, vermin and fleas that the landlord himself burned it down. He had no permit to do so and it was illegal to do so, but it was a very remote area where people made their own laws. And he did replace the trailer with a much nicer one.
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