....All that said, the whole situation smells bad. As in "bogus". I have never heard of a pawnbroker who would loan money because he had a "good heart"; they hear every sob story the world has invented and survive as businesses only if they make money. "Good-heartedness" and making money are not mutually dependent - they might happen and they might not. To be frank, if I were the pawnbroker's landlord, I'd be making sure my security deposit was paid up and do what I could under the lease to make sure my rent was going to be paid because I'd be concerned he was running his business into the ground through bad judgment...
When I was in the Army, I was aware of many instances where hundred dollar items were pawned for quite a bit less. Even adjusting for inflation, some kids needed twenty dollars to make through the week. That pawnbroker may have simply figured out a way to get a bunch of mileage for his advertising dollar.
