Welcome to X. It's better, regardless of what your lived experience tells you.
So, Diablo has two "realms" in which characters can be in, the seasonal realm being one of these. As the name suggests, the seasonal realm is where seasonal characters play through seasons, which are periods of time in which players attempt to complete multiple levels of increasingly difficult challenges. Playing the seasons can earn a player rewards, both free and paid, through the battle pass, which unlocks these rewards based partly on seasonal progress. Seasonal characters are created new at the beginning of the season, and transfer to the other realm, eternal, at season end, where they persist.
Being that there are paid rewards, I can understand and support Blizzard's reaction. Allowing players to exploit a paid service, even in a way that seemingly doesn't effect others, sets a poor precident. Beyond that, I'm not sure if there are ways in which it effects me, but I've not participated in much PVP, which I think would be the most obvious advantage, as otherwise we're not competing.
"$10/day is about the same as one meal from a fast food chain."
And for more than a few, that's the one meal they're eating that day.
Further, this isn't a guarantee, it's a gamble. We're constantly on the edge of a recession these days, you cannot blame anyone for taking short term security in lieu of potential long term loss.
"I know life is hard for those on the poorer end of the spectrum, but to an extent, diligence can make up for income and secure a decent retirement."
Everything before the "but" is just insincere windows dressing. This is just some more bootstraps BS.
I'm thinking you just need to join your Nazi friends; over there.