What I don't get about pirates is that they somehow think they are entitled to play the games, not to be denied by things like price. They also believe that somehow these games magically come into existence without any time or money or energy involved by the creators. Either that or they believe this time invested should not be compensated. "How DARE they ask for money for this, it SHOULD BE MINE! I was never going to buy it anyway, 'cause I can't afford it, so you guys lose nothing, but I get your game, the thing you invested time and money in! Just like it should be!"
Let's step back for a second here. You can't afford the game, you say? So why are you entitled to have it? Why does not being able to afford it magically exempt you from the entry fee to experience this work? If you can't afford it, then too bad, you're not entitled to it. The people who pay for it are entitled to it, having compensated the game developer for their efforts and investment. When you pirate something, you are getting a product without the entry fee the publisher/developer decided it was worth. If you GAIN something without paying for it, then they LOSE the money you'd have given them for it normally.
Taking the OP's bus analogy. If you only have $5, and it only gets you 4 stops down, then too bad. You're not entitled to ride the bus. By staying on it without paying for that distance, the bus system loses the money you'd have paid for going further, money it needs to continue paying for the gas and the maintenance necessary to keep the bus running. If everyone used the logic the OP did, and the bus is regularly filled by self-entitled twats, then when it comes time to pull up to the gas pump, where is it getting the money for that, hmmm? Oh no, all the riders of the day used the "You're going there anyway, I should be able to ride for free" logic and now the bus driver can't afford his gas. No more busses for anyone!
Money and sales numbers are the "gas" of game developers. A lot of the both of them allows them to keep going and produce new games. If you can't afford to give them these, tough break. Yes, the publisher and developer never gets your money, so they never see a contribution from you in these things. So then why should you benefit from not being able to help them at all? Why do you feel so entitled to experience these things that you feel they should just give it to you without the price they were asking for it? What makes you so special compared to all the other people who are under that price imposition?
The answer? You're not. Quit pretending that you have entitlement towards playing a company's game. If you can't afford it, you shouldn't get it. Simply put. Play what you've already bought, or play a game that the developers have decided has no entry fee. They're entitled to decide that. You're not.