Well, I disagree...a bonus is not a salary. As for bankruptcy...It depends. I worked at a company that went bankrupt and never received a dime...You can not convince me this is right.
How long did you work under the circumstance of not being paid? Were you [supposed to be] paid weekly, biweekly, monthly, annually; yet never got paid?
if you worked 12 months for a $1 “salary” with the promise of a large payout at the end, would you really consider that payout as a “bonus” or as compensation for the work you had done for the past year?