Poor man tried to pay with $5 bills after scratching a car — but the driver’s response caught him off guard

A video shared by u/abidalliye on Reddit moved thousands with the pure wholesomeness it brought. An underprivileged elderly man accidentally scratched a parked car, and instead of leaving, he stayed put, waiting for the owner so he could apologize. Although the original source of the video is unknown, it’s been shared widely across social media. On Reddit, the post received 6.5k upvotes and hundreds of comments praising both men for their honesty and compassion.

When the younger man who owned the car returned, the older gentleman explained what had happened and reached into his pocket. He pulled out all the cash he had, a small amount, and offered it as payment for the damage. The driver looked at the money and asked, "This all you got?" When the man nodded, he pushed the cash back toward him. "I don’t want your money, Pop. Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it myself. Just drive safely next time." The older man tried again to insist, but the car owner refused each time. "That’s your last money. I don’t want it," he told him. He even walked him back toward his own car, ending with a smile and a gentle, "Go ahead. You’re good."

What could have been a tense confrontation ended up as a lesson in empathy, proof that a little kindness can go a long way. In a well-known study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that when one person behaves altruistically in a public‑goods game, others follow suit. Contributions didn’t just double but tripled over repeated rounds. In essence, generosity triggered more generosity through social mimicry. The video had people tearing up, and a lot of them shared their thoughts in the comments. 

u/cagemyelephant_ wrote, "I had the same encounter a year ago, and the driver was very apologetic and poor. I was having a good day so I let it slip. Gave him a handshake and told him not to sleep while driving." u/Beast_7175 quipped, "You know what I learned from this... He wasn't forgiven just because he was elderly.. He wasn't forgiven just because he was poor. He wasn't forgiven just because of his ethnicity. He was forgiven because he acknowledged his mistake and took responsibility. He was forgiven because he wanted to make it right. He was forgiven because he deserved it... RARE!"

u/DellaFlare chimed in, "I’ve seen this a million times, but with the way the world currently is, right or wrong, this hits different." u/CutenessOverloaded88 shared, "The old man didn’t have much, but he wanted to make it right. Forgiving him showed not just grace, but also respect for his dignity." u/Pinkpurplemelon penned, "This just made me tear up. I felt sorry for the older man and felt his sincerity in insisting on giving his money, and the owner of the damaged car being so kind and compassionate." And as u/Dapper-Firefighter85 put it, "I can see when people are humble and have guilt on their face, that's all that matters. The guy deserved forgiveness. This was wholesome."