Good? or Bad?

I have a friend who is a social worker. An extremely motivated lady who dedicates much of her life to help those in need, sacrificing her time and money just to lend cheer to those who are not as well off as her. On weekends she visits old folks who stayed by themselves in the older housing estates (usually one-room flats) and brings them food and money. Though what she can do for each individual is limited by her finite resources, her spirit is indomitable in rendering her help.

One day, she visited a particular family for the first time. The nucleus was made up of the parents and two young daughters. She spent more than two hours talking to them and trying to understand their situation. Though she knew that happiness can exist even in an improverished state, she was still pleasantly surprised to find that the two young daughters were playing happily with what little they had. As she tried to get to know them better, she found that they had little realisation of what other children of their age knew - Kentucky Fried Chicken, Barbie dolls, etc. They rarely left their home.

Feeling sorry for them, my friend brought along two big boxes of KFC burgers and chicken wings for the family the following visit. The children were curious but nevertheless ate the unfamiliar food which tasted great. My friend felt happy to see the children enjoying the treat and thought to herself that seeing the smiles on their faces made whatever she had sacrificed to help others in need worthwhile.

The subsequent visit was a totally different situation altogether. The mother of the two young children was upset and when my friend asked her what she was troubled by, she replied that the two young daughters had been pestering her to buy them KFC for the past week. Never did my friend realise that her good deed of wanting to bring some enjoyment to the poor children had inadvertently turned into misfortune for the family. Without having even seen a KFC advertisement (the family did not have a television set at home), the children had not realised that they were missing what other children possessed. The introduction of this apparent luxury had unfortunately seeded the feelings of craving and desire in them.

Thus we have these questions:

Was what my friend did (bringing KFC to the children) right or wrong?

Did her actions generate more good than bad consequences?

Is the merit of an action solely dependant on the intentions?

Can a good intention have a bad outcome, and vice versa?