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No, if you cannot afford something you cannot take it because you want it. If you cannot afford the e-book I am guessing that you cannot afford the paper book. You cannot walk into a book store and walk out with a paper book that you did not pay for. That is theft. Why would that be any different with an e-book?
There are alternatives for people who cannot afford to buy books, paper or electronic. Many libraries have e-books that people can check out. They might not be the books that you want but there are books that you can read. If the library does not have e-books then yes, you are stuck with paper books.
Used book stores sell books at cheaper prices. Consignment shops and yard sales have books for sale cheap. Find a group that exchanges books with each other. There are legitimate options for getting reading material that do not require theft.
I fail to understand how "I don't have the money to buy luxury item X so I can steal luxury item X" is justifiable. And as much as I love to read, books are a luxury item. They might be less expensive and more available today then they were 50 years ago, 100 years ago, or 500 years ago but they are still a luxury item. If you cannot afford them find some place to borrow them from and enjoy what you can find.
But theft is theft and justifying theft because money is tight is no excuse. Because you cannot afford it you are going to deprive the Author of money that he/she needs to pay his/her bills? I am sorry but you might not be taking a physical object but you are still taking an action that deprives another person of money that they are entitled to. That is theft.
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