Good question:
I mentioned earlier in this thread that I found it interesting that none of the homeless boys I was interacting with ever asked me for money. In-other-words, they weren't begging. They also appeared to be accepting these temporary living conditions as the result of the economy, nothing more, and nothing less. And, at least from what I could detect, showed no sense of shame (loss of face) regarding this condition.
I've also come across homeless people in Pattaya who seem to be clearly suffering from consequences of their own making (usually drug or alcohol related) who seem to have no problem begging for money. Right or wrong, I never make any donations to these people.