We live in a very cruel world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Unassuming people who are just trying to live out their life as smoothly as possible may get hit with a mugging, an unexpected illness, an elaborate scam or a destructive temptation. It seems that the perpetrators of these crimes are the one who come out on top. The medical industry thrives off of people being sick, crooks walk away with your money and it seems our biology and neurology opens the door for earthly temptations. To someone who can resist those temptations and does not have the instinct of crookery, is it possible for good things to come their way? It's a tough question to answer but here goes some food for thought:
First we have to establish what 'good' things are. To give a broad Western definition it is basic needs like water, shelter and food. Fulfilling relationships with friends, lovers and family. A little bit of luxury like vacations, quality items and lastly independence.
For the premise that something good can fall on someones lap out of the ether for doing good deeds (or at least not doing bad ones), one would have to believe in a divine intervention of some sort, whether it be karma, God or some other influence that's beyond the five senses. There is a pacification in that belief because one relies of something else to bring them good fortune. But from there we come to a paradox. When one is pacified they are not likely to ruffle feathers. The word "pacify" itself means to be peaceful and non-confrontational and when being pacified, one is waiting for something good to come to them instead of making good things happen for yourself. From a logical perspective, pacification means passivity. When one is passive they are soft targets for criminals and sociopaths seeking to take advantage of the unsuspecting.
Also when one is passive, they will take what is handed to them instead of taking what they actually want but in doing so goes against the passive model of potentially seeing another human being as an obstacle or means to get what they want, i.e. a sociopath. Perhaps that's why nice people do worse financially.
In the college and school systems, we are taught that it's all about 'who you know' and networking. From there we get our business culture dominated by people who see other people at tools in order to accomplish their desires. That makes people think of themselves as tools in order to be attractive to people with money that want to use them. There is nothing wrong with thinking of yourself as a builder with a purpose but the question must be asked what are you building for? Is it for building a reputation and academic credentials in order to get the high paying job? Is it for having all the boxes checked on the application of your dream lover? Are you building yourself up for the approval of some other entity or other person? If the answer is yes then you must asking yourself what are you building and who are you building for. Is it for yourself or someone else?
To answer the question that was asked in the headline of this post, I will have give a general no. Sure, there are cases when good things happen to passive people but that is not a formula for success. And yes, it is true that sociopathy can bring you success in the eyes of other people. They may even do good deeds to give the perception of a wholesome and kind hearted person but the true driver of the sociopath is not success because there is not limit to where the sociopath says 'I have achieved success.' They get off on getting one over on others. My determination on this subject is vague and my recommendation is to not be passive but to also not be a sociopath. You will have to find the art in that.