One of the best books of all time, 'KANYASULKAM' finished reading it again. 'KANYASULKAM' is the reverse of DOWRY. It was no-good either. Parents used to sell their daughters to very old men for the money. And prayed for the girl's husband to die so they sue the dead guy's family for some inheritance stuff. The girls got exploited for money in even this reverse scenario. What we should always remember is that its not the rules that are bad. Its the people who enforce them. The Kanyasulkam (reverse dowry) could've been given to the Girl's parents to help them with the post marriage life or with marriage expenditure.
All the rules in our society have mostly been made to do 'GOOD'. But the bureaucrats, the government officials and all the bloody politicians they screwed them up beyond recognition. People will come up a thousand or more reasons for not doing the right thing than discovering the one right reason to do it. What as humans we can do is to emphasize on what is good. And also on how we can keep the heart of the rules intact. Don't make a rule and ask people to follow it. The rule will be read by people who want to know. It will be studied by ones who want to bend it. And it will destroyed by ones who take advantage of it. Instead walk the right path and you'll see many following it. Rules of a game are set by the maker. 'Rules of the society' are set by us and more importantly by our actions.
