it is meant to serve as a log of times people COULD have stolen but didn't, proving they have a history of being able to be trusted with funds.
No, that's your interpretation and it's irrelevant to the system.
No, sorry. No matter how much you want to try to derail with your existentialist debate, the trust system was designed to do exactly this. The only one interpreting things here, in a very self serving punitive way I might add, is you.