That’s very sad. It sounds like the guy just wasn’t a very good businessman. I’ve owned various businesses over the last 20 years & it is as hard as heck to succeed in these times of mega-corporate-conglomerate businesses to have to compete with.
However, there are lots of small businesses that do succeed, despite the odds. Lots of luck helps, but it really boils down to good business management.
This poor man felt like he was driven to the edge by the city council - but he failed to look at his own short-comings in managing his business. Winners take lemons & make lemonade - losers sit & whine about it, blaming others instead of coming up with other solutions.
Very, very sad story.
Well, yes, he may have felt like that -- but I have to think more as an excuse. As you pointed out, he likely was in a bad way, financially, anyway.
His picture is suggestive -- something about that expression is just ... sad. Depressed. It reminds me of the "tavern guys" in my hometown, when I was growing up.