The difference is that when you, as a landlord, pay the bank, you are getting equity out of the house. When the tenant pays the landlord, they get nothing long term in return. In fact, they are the ones paying for your equity. Doesn't matter how nice they are, how clean they are, how they continue to deny themselves basic things like animal companions, they don't get any kind of long-term shit out of this. Hell, if they're lucky it might help their credit score.
The landlord, on the other hand, come rain or shine, always gets equity in the house. Not always profit, but always equity. When they pay, it actually goes towards something you can sell later, you can always make most of your money back.
See how one of these things is not like the other?
But I shouldn't have to explain this to you, you were a landlord afterall.