Thоmаs, аge thirty-seven, grew up in аn extremely impоverished neighbоrhood of a city that was, itself, struggling to survive after most of its factories closed and no new industries moved in to take their place. Thomas did get a high school diploma but has been periodically unemployed and, when employed, often works part-time and earns only minimum wage. He would love to get job training and make more of himself, maybe even own his own home someday, but he simply does not have the resources needed to make that happen. Merton’s structural strain theory would predict that Thomas might turn to crime because of