“The reason that 'gouge' is not treated as a serious matter is that it is so universal and conducted on so large a scale”

Simplified Meaning:

Sometimes, things that are bad are accepted or ignored just because they happen a lot and many people do them. Imagine a big company raising the price of bread a little every day. Eventually, the bread becomes very expensive, but people don't complain much about it because they are used to the small increases or because every company is doing it. When everyone is doing something wrong on a large scale, it starts feeling normal and even minor. It's like when everyone in a classroom is talking a bit too much, and the teacher doesn't punish anyone because it’s hard to single out one student; it becomes normal behavior. People often stop seeing something as a problem when it happens everywhere. To make the world a fairer place, it's important to recognize and question the harmful things everyone does, even if they seem small or widespread. For example, if everyone starts wasting water, we should still try to save water even if wasting it seems common. Doing the right thing, no matter how many are doing the wrong, can make a big difference.