Victimized - For a Pin?

Yesterday Sherry had a bad experience, and it just doesn't fit my idea of a rational world, yet it probably happens more than we think it does.

She was in a waiting room and noticed an older woman taking a long time at the coat rack. Sherry could see that the woman was touching her (Sherry's) coat and thought the woman might be admiring the pin Sherry wears on it. The pin is 8-10 years old -- I gave it to her for Christmas -- it is a "charm" style pin, with one child figure for each of the four kids, and each charm has the birthstone of the child. Anyway, the older woman was apparently stealing it. Sherry didn't notice it was missing until after her appointment (the woman rearranged the coats to hide the lapel of Sherry's coat from view) and by then, the older woman was gone.

Once the pin was missing, it was perfectly obvious that she had been surreptitiously removing it, but Sherry (thinking good things of all people most of the time) could not see that the theft was occurring.

For the sake of a piece of jewelry, this old lady risked being caught, and victimized Sherry. She stole something with much more sentimental value than monetary value. And, because Sherry pointed it out to the people at the desk of the waiting room, the older woman is now a suspected thief.

How can the woman rationalize that the result was worth it? What could be going on in her head? How can this happen?

These are questions I just can't answer. I can't think in a way that supports it.

Most of the time, our world is pretty nice to us. When people aren't nice, and in fact are actively willing to take advantage of us, we get confused. I'm confused. And sad.