I refer to the report “Less privileged children get driven around in luxury cars” (Sept 28).

The event may have been based on sincerity and the best intentions, but as poet TS Eliot said: “Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions.”

We cannot ignore the unintended repercussions this event may trigger, particularly on the children’s psyche and the dent made on the families’ dignity. I fail to see how driving children around in luxury cars will help bring them out of their impoverished state. On the contrary, there may be two plausible consequences in the making.

One is to reinforce the myth that there is no class or social divide in our society, or that the gap has been narrowed. The other is to give the children a warped and one-dimensional idea of success, based on hedonistic values in the pursuit of a materialistic, extravagant lifestyle.

If the organisers and those compassionate drivers genuinely want to help the kids, the better way to contribute is to buy books and help them build a library in their homes.

Providing the underprivileged with the opportunity to access the cultural capital of books and reading is the best way to break the cycle of poverty.

A truly compassionate society is one where the privileged class actively joins in the struggle of the underprivileged for self-empowerment and economic independence, and not by taking them for a ride.