Hi I don't know how to answer your query in the place where you posted the question because the thread somehow isn't expanding anymore. So I will answer it here.

Sure, the easiest way would be to check the renting history of the woman and if we see any blemish on it, not let her in in the first place. In the same manner, we can say that the horrible psychological damage that a soldier who thought in Iraq or Afghanistan, could have been prevented if American troops have never gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. It is like in that joke that states that the best treatment for dandruff is a guillotine.
However, it happens very often that a person gets into a predicament, not because it was not possible to avoid getting into it, but because he either didn’t know something at a time, or was lazy, or was ill informed. Like it is in your story, the protagonist could have been more careful with his gambling and he’d then never get into this predicament, to begin with.
In my view, the examples you are taking are too obvious. They don’t really require much convincing. Don’t gamble, do the work where you have more abilities, don’t drink and drive, don’t take drugs, etc. I think to make a story more interesting you can tackle a problem that is more of a murky gray color, like the one I described, or a similar one. The problem that has no obvious solution and you have dig down inside your soul to find a particular solution that is right for you at the moment.