Every crime committed wether big or small is punishable under the law no matter what the motive may be.
Commiting offences is totally wrong hence the government decided to punish offenders by enacting a law with the aim that after serving their terms others might learn from them and refrain from carrying out any evil plot. The government motive is good which the citizens appreciate cause it has helped the society at large to improve one way or the other else if there wasn't any law only God knows what our community and country at large would have turned to.
There are some crime which no matter what can not be forgiven when committed and the offender must face the consequences when caught which one is murder. This crime is highly punished because taking another person's life can not be for a good motive so there's no explanation to it except probably it was for self defense which the law court will be needing a strong evidence to declare the accuse not guilty. Also, some can still be pardoned if the reason is genuine. I absolutely don't encourage stealing because rather than taking what's not yours it is better to ask for it but still at that when one take stuffs like foodstuffs it can still be forgiven if he or she didn't go extreme cause it would be wrong for breaking into someone store to steal a reasonable amount of food stuffs all in the name of hunger leaving the victim to suffer or run into debts.
My mom runs a food store and just before the just concluded festive period, this woman came to my mom shop to buy food stuff. She already planned her moves and came during the market rush hour where people would be much. While she came she delayed before placing her others and after when she concluded on what to buy, she told my mom to measure her items for her of which she did but bring out her money from her purse was taking her time again and because mom was in a rush to attend to other people as she was the only one in the shop she had to drop the item and go attend to another person. In the process of she attending to the next customer, this woman stretched her hand and reached out to the goods on the table.
Although my mom's attention was divided but her instincts led her to turn so as to ask the woman to pay her money only for her to turn and saw the woman already going her way which Immediately my mom went after her. As soon as she knew she was caught she pleaded with my mom and my mom had compassion on her hence only the customers around knew what happened. Food stuff is expensive with the economy situation of the country so my mom collected back what she took and gave her something to manage. People really appreciated my mom cause not everyone would agree to forgive and they advised the woman to rather beg than to steal cause next time she might not be lucky so for the sake of hunger I can forgive just as my mom did.