Deception and Gift Horses

In the fabled annals of the apple not falling far from the tree, here is a human interest story that fairly well epitomizes the kind of psychological inheritance of values that can assail some families. A loving son purchases lottery tickets as a gift to his ailing father and equally elderly mother. Which, without a doubt, pleases them enormously that their adult son thinks so highly of their well being, and goes out of his way to present them with a gift.

A gift, moreover, that somehow turned into a winner. The three Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario home lottery tickets that were purchased by Kemptville resident Mike Viau had three names placed on them. Mike Viau, the loving son, placed his name first, followed by his father Maurice's name, then his mother Madeleine's. The lottery rules permit three names, fewer but no more, to appear on these tickets.

And of these particular three gift tickets from a loving son to hugely appreciative parents, one turned out to be a winner. Mike Viau had previously sold his own home, with the intention of moving in with his parents to enable him to assist his mother in caring for his father, in the late stages of Parkinson's disease. And with a view as well to paying down his elderly parents' mortgage.

The Dream of a Lifetime charity operated by CHEO, as a reliable community fund-raiser, presented the winning ticket holder with a million-dollar home, free groceries, maid service, $100,000 in cash, and a new Lincoln automobile. Rich winnings. "I wish I never won it. It didn't turn out too good", says Mike Viau, 45, in retrospect.

Mike Viau, and his parents Madeleine and Maurice Viau visit the Minto Dream Home in Manotick in January 2012 after winning the $1.8 million CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery grand prize which included the home, $100,000 cash, a 2012 Lincoln MKZ, house cleaning for a year and $5,000 in groceries.  Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington , Ottawa Citizen

His mother Madeleine has filed an application in Ontario Superior Court for two-thirds of the $1.2-million realized proceeds from the sale of the CHEO Minto-built Dream House. The agreement she and her husband had with their son was that the winnings were to be split three ways. The $250 price tag of the three lottery tickets was paid by her son, but the tickets were a gift from him to them.

Maurice died in November, Madeleine took her son to court on Valentine's Day. She moved out of the jointly owned family home in Kemptville, to live with another family member. The arguments between mother and son over distribution of the sale proceeds of the 'dream house', and the sale of the Kemptville house has resulted in bitter friction.

"It was a Christmas gift, but it wasn't to split in three ways", Mike Viau says in his defence. "I knew what I would do (if he won). Why would I give my mom, who is 80 years old, two-thirds of the money?"

What is the meaning of the word "gift"? What is the purpose of conferring a gift upon someone? Where is the moral of this story?