From practical observation, I disagree with your last point. When fighting for improving the state of affairs or fighting against injustice, the amount of time and effort it takes to achieve even small positive changes is huge in many areas. Even with self-interest, the amount of extreme hopelessness doesn’t really go away. Add to this the fact that people who could easily care and make a difference most often ignore things, it’s a recipe for becoming frustrated, feeling helpless and seeing things like a never ending struggle with very little to show for. The lack of empathy and the high prevalence of inaction among the majority act as triggers in all this.