Meaning
The chiefly British idiom, feel hard done by or feel hard done-by means "to feel treated unjustly/unfairly". The meaning is not akin to a feeling of betrayal.
Usage
In the idiom, hard done by is an adjectival phrase. So, on further thought, I think the following construction would be grammatically incorrect,
He felt hard done by by former friends.
because it implies the subject complement and the auxiliary can be inserted thus:
He felt he was hard done by by former friends.
This usage is improper, as it treats hard done by as a participial element, which it is not. While some may parse this differently to argue for its correctness, one would be hard-pressed to find the idiom ever used in this way (followed by by). Rather, it is used by itself or in conjunction with an adverbial. I give several examples:
I felt a bit hard done by, going through that rough patch.
They certainly felt hard done by at having their privileges revoked.
Feeling hard done-by, mate?
He tried to cheer me up, but I couldn't help feeling hard done by.
She felt hard done by at having to do the chores while everyone else went to play.
Poor Cinderella must have felt so hard done by when her wicked step-mother
denied her permission to go out.
No need to feel hard done by, bro. Every dog has its day.
In your final example, the correct choice would be:
The situation made him feel hard done by.
Prevalence
This idiom is not a Canadian regionalism or colloquialism. It is mainly used in the UK and other English-speaking countries of the Commonwealth, which includes Canada, Australia, India, etc. As such, it is more widely used by non-US speakers.
The first that comes to mind is
Birds of a feather flock together
This means that similar items (including people) are drawn to one another.
To say that "What you get is exactly what you deserve" you could use
You reap what you sow
Best Answer
Spoon feeding is used both idiomatically and literally. It is literally feeding someone (typically a baby) with a spoon by placing food on the spoon and then putting the spoon in the recipient's mouth until they remove the food using their tongue or lips. The only action required by the person being spoon-fed is to close the lips after the spoon has been inserted into the mouth and swallow the food.
In the more idiomatic or metaphorical use, it refers to someone doing something for someone else to such a extent that the person being "spoon-fed" has to do only the absolute minimum. Since most people have experience with how babies are fed, even if someone is not immediately familiar with the metaphor, it is pretty self-explanatory, unlike some idioms which make no sense unless you know the idiom. In the case of a class where students don't have to do any thinking, analysis, or practical tasks but just memorization of facts could be an example of "spoon feeding".