So a couple weeks ago my wife and I did our taxes online and filed jointly for the first time. For reference, she makes twice as much as I do.
She entered her information and deductions in first, and when she was done the return amount came to $6k.
Then me, the lesser earning one, put in my information and deductions in. By the time I was done our return went from $6k to $700. We're still making money back, but had she filed separately she would've made a bunch of money and I would've owed a bunch of money.
I was just confused about the whole thing. Like I was able to maintain a living with my W2 wages, but had I owed ~$4k by myself I'd have been screwed. And if I'm able to live comfortably but am constantly in fear of owing money, then I can't imagine how someone living on minimum wage is just on the verge of losing everything every day.