You'll never know.
Terrible analogy there.
Sugar and some fats are necessary to a balanced diet. In what way is tobacco a good thing?
Feel free to eat all the sugar and fat in my presence that you want to. I will not be affected or offended. Smoke near me? Yeah, that’s a problem.
Perhaps the elderly smokers in government housing would not be there if they invested thousands of dollars in retirement planning instead of cigarettes. Perhaps they are not working due to their bad health due to their smoking.
Perhaps they are not working due to their bad health due to their smoking .....Perhaps it’s none of your damned business.
And suppose some of those people only spend $10-20/month on their tobacco? Ya, some of it is very inexpensive. For some of those folks, it’s their Only frivolous expense.
Nonsmoker’s don’t realize how badly it smells. Finally, these people grew up on a very different era, and their attitudes reflect that difference.
Don’t be sad, most of the old folks will be dead in a few years and you won’t have to worry about what other people do in their own personal lives. Right?
You'll never know.