In the eighties I worked at a place with a lot of guys that had bikes. One weekend, a bunch of them went to a rally in the next state. On the way back a bike broke down and was left at a garage to get fixed. The owner had no way to get out to the other end of the state to pick it up, and none of his riding buddies would help him. I felt sorry for him and offered to help. It was about 100 miles to the garage and the route was a toll road. I took my van in case his bike broke down again on the way back, and I followed him to his house which was out of my way home. I was glad I could help, as I offered, and didn't ask for anything in return. A few days later, one of my coworkers came to me and told me he had asked the guy if he gave me some gas money. The guy told him it would be a cold day in hell before he gave me anything! I never said anything to the guy I helped, after all I offered, but his attitude hurt. I had to deal with this guy as part of my job, and didn't change my dealings with how I treated him, but, he never treated me the same after my help. Go figure.
I could tell you other stories about ungrateful recipients of help, but I type to slow. I will say, I have a friend who offered to help someone 40 years ago, and has had constant back pain since.He had to fight to get some help with medical bills.
When cars were less dependable, I worked as an auto mechanic. It was not uncommon to see a car in a parking lot with the hood up. The owner would look around and even in non work clothes would sense I was a mechanic, and ask for help. I never refused and would never except money, I was glad to help. I learned an important lesson over the years. If someone asks for help, they need help and will appreciate it in at least words. If they don't ask for help, they don't need help. So if you need help, ask for it.
Is it life or death? I am trained to help and will.