What could I do?

  I met an old man in the street. You could tell from a distance  
that he was troubled. I asked him what was wrong, he looked  
at me and smiled with such a sadly cynical twist and said,  
"It doesn't matter mate, what are ya gonna do?"  
After a short conversation we parted ways though he stuck  
with me from there onwards.  
  I was still thinking about him when I arrived at the shops,  
grabbed my milk and heard the customer before me having  
a gripe about the young lads that had raced the old guy to the  
last case of lager, all the while making pretence that he just  
might win. They bought the case and walked off laughing.  
The lady said to the cashier, "It made me so angry to see what they did  
to that old man, but what could I do?  
What can we do? Are you serious?  
There is nothing worse than the theft of dignity.  
Nothing.  
What can we do indeed?