וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי וגו' וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס (ו, יא)
And the land was corrupted before... and the land was full of theft. (6:11)
A Small Theft Could Destroy St. Petersburg:
Chazal say (Sanhedrin 108A) that their decree was sealed because of theft.
The Gedolei Yisroel once gathered in a hotel in St. Petersburg to discuss an important matter. Amongst them was the Rashab of Lubavitch zy"a and the Chofetz Chaim zt"l. Late at night, the Chofetz Chaim needed some writing paper, but all the stores were already closed. He went to the Rashab's room and asked if he could buy a piece of paper. The Rashab gave him a piece, and the Chofetz Chaim tried to hand him two small coins. The Rashab refused to accept the payment, and the Chofetz Chaim gave him back the paper, saying that under no circumstances would he accept it for free.
A famous philanthropist named Zelig Persitz a"h witnessed this interaction. He asked the Chofetz Chaim, "Why do you insist on paying? Two pennies aren't worth anything to the Rashab anyway?"
The Chofetz Chaim answered, "It is true that two pennies aren't worth anything, but stealing two pennies creates damaging angels that could destroy the entire city of St. Petersburg!"