Section 125 CrPC: Where's the Consistency?

I'm stuck on this one, guys. I've been going over Section 125 CrPC, which deals with maintenance orders for wives, children, and parents. But what really gets my goat is the part about 'reasonable' maintenance. It says the court can order maintenance "having regard to the ability of that person". Great, sounds fair. But then it goes on to say that the amount of maintenance "shall, having regard to the standard of living of the parties." Now, here's the thing - isn't the standard of living directly linked to the ability to pay? I mean, if a guy's making ends meet, his standard of living should be pretty low, right? So, how can the court consider his standard of living if it's directly linked to his ability to pay? It just doesn't add up. Am I missing something?