Culpepper wanted to be nice and, not being a politician or Miss Manners, acted instinctively but by doing so accidentally gave the kid some false impressions. That doesn't exactly make Culpepper evil in my book. I suppose he should have just ignored the kid and avoided all this trouble, then he wouldn't be called all the horrible names people are using on this thread.
Someone who thinks they have the right to someone else's expensive goods just for the asking is the one with the problem with manners. If the kid, paralyzed or not, had any class, he would never even have thought about keeping the jewelry. Same goes double for the kid's parents.
Being paralyzed doesn't entitle one to beg for expensive jewelry or gifts by capitalizing on the situation and making the most of an embarrassing moment.