Originally posted by Not A Vampire:

wards dont prevent anything because they can be smashed

Obviously anything can be smashed. That's not the point. You know it when your ward is smashed. If you play with a group of 5 or 6 you'll always have that slacker that just randomly picks stuff from others chests, or puts his nose where it doesn't belong. That same person, is not, however, going to destroy anything and will be deterred by a simple ward. It's a safeguard for privacy.

In my playthrough we all had our own little spaces sealed with wards. Not because of inherent suspicion, but just to ensure a sense of privacy