In the territory of Mepleros, due to shortages of food and poor economic management in all aspects, rampant thieves would rob passing merchants and nobles of their belongings. However, when merchants and nobles were capable of confronting these thieves, they sometimes could make a small fortune from them.
For instance, the thieves' equipment might not be of the finest quality, but with a bit of cleaning and polishing, it could still be sold for several gold coins.
The horses, too, could fetch a good price, and even the thieves themselves were considered valuable assets.
After all, this world had a slavery system. People like thieves, generally in their prime years and armed militants, meaning they had combat capabilities, would be worth a great deal of money if taken to the slave market.