Some combination of desperation and sociopathy.

I might suppose that it's usually more the former than the latter, but there's degrees to each characteristic.

They perceive that they need things, and they don't necessarily care who they harm to get the things that satisfy this need.

(When we dress it up all nice and back it with corporate layers and an army of lawyers, sometimes we get CEOs.)

Or basic simple profit for sociopaths. Organized criminal rings have turned catalytic converter theft into a multi-million to billion dollar+ industry. Its basically steal from the POOR middle-class and make the sociopaths even more rich.

Nobody desperate will dare steal from the gangs since its not just death, but PAIN before death.