Failure is not being rewarded, being a member of sociery is, it's not about performance.
Dollar for dollar poor people pay 1 sixth of the income taxes that high income earners pay. If that's not rewarding failure, what is?
But it's not uncommon, we do it with our kids all the time. "If you don't perform good grades, you are not good enough". My point being that changing that view to, "look at what opportunities you (will) have now". Someone being a failure according to you may be quite demotivated at reaching a high income due to the fact that it seems impossible, why do the effort? For what is more important than playing a role in society, and be a good human? Is really income a value of how human you are?
You're also assuming high incomes are completely independent of Central Banks subsidizing asset prices.
Cut the welfare, stop punishing success with higher taxes and you'll see just how much better people can be.