"Sheltered, right," Reno sighed, nodding and rolling his eyes toward the ceiling, where they remained fixed for a while. "Midgar's slum was nasty long before I was born, yo. But I've seen enough of 'em poppin' up here an' there since. They start with neglect when they need attention the most. This area here ain't very desirable to the people with money, so the people who ain't got as much move in, because it's all they can afford. And then there ain't no jobs. An' then the education system sucks, an' whoever is in charge of that gives up on it, too. An' the local law enforcers stop thinkin' it's worth as much effort, so people who are that hungry, they steal to eat, an' people who ain't hungry, but ain't good people, they see an easy ride an' they grab it, doin' all the bad shit down there, because they can get away with it."

Reno sighed and shook his head.

"Problem is, once a mess is made, there ain't nobody who's willin' to step in an' clean it up. Especially if there ain't no money in it, zoto."