Similar to America today

The three bandits DO steal, but they didn't hurt the woman, blow up the watering hole etc like they are being blamed for. The paradigm reminds me of our current "Three Felonies A Day" way of life. There are minor offenses committed ech day by people who then get blamed for a whole series of things they did NOT alsodo- and there are innocent people with no criminal intent who are arrested and run afoul of the law, just so the criminal justice/security/policing industry can grow. Yeah, I sound like a bleeding heart liberal, I know. But I have come to see that the "VERY guilty until proven innocent" standard is nothing new, but more empowered and robust since 911 and the age of anti-terror all the time. It is common now to make the biggest deal, and escalate the response to everything in order to heighten the drama and perception of NEED for ever increasing police power. The Marshal's blaming of the three reminds me of current law enforcement mentality.