To some extent I agree with you about the car keys. But not entirely, as I think it's a lot more elusive in this context. There was supposed to be no police saying what is right or wrong - that's the notion behind smart contracts. That way "theft" as such can't really take place - it's a coding error. The miners vote with their hashing power if a fork is proposed, and that's about it. The contracts are just code, and since Etehreum is Turing complete, everything that can be coded and ran is legal.
On the other hand I can totally see the drama and potential tragic consequences of such a radical approach.
Still the world needs clean, tough, incorruptible technology more than ever, with all the crony legislation being pushed and privilaged agendas corrupting the planet.
It also certainly sucks that the DAO money most likely came from most progressive and rebellious investors standing up to the system. And they were the first ones to get smoked by something they believed in. That's ironic and tragic at the same time, but as they say, revolutions devour their children.