My monthly mortgage, car loan, personal loan & childminder payments are very real.
And if I lose my job and have to stop paying one or other of the loans then the letters I receive from the bank will also be very real.
Yes they are real, as are my debts and everyone elses, it's the 'if I lose my job' part that interests me. The burden of debt is there for the majority of our lives not just through the tough economical times.