Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Are Moral Yet Illegal

People Break Down Which Things Are Moral Yet Illegal
Rizkyta Putri on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

Despite people's good intentions, there are things that are perceived as being completely innocent but are actually against the law.


An example of this is retrieving items from the garbage bin–which is primarily used for depositing trash, not meant to help one's cause.

There are other protocols in place meant to help people, and if you're not aware of them and act accordingly, you could find yourself being in violation of rules you had no previous idea about.

Curious to hear more examples of this, Redditor Dr_vinci asked:

"What is moral but illegal?"

These don't hurt people per se, but it throws a wrench in the system.

Doctor's View Of Medicare

"As an American doctor who takes Medicare, I am not allowed to waive fees for procedures or charge a patient less than what our officially set rates are, even if they don’t have insurance. I’m also not allowed to ask a doctor from a different practice what a certain insurance company pays them for a service, as this has been deemed 'anti-trust.'”

– bryantuga

This Stings

"Donating unused insulin to those in need."

– Destroyette

School Lunches

"Cafeteria workers at schools feeding children that don't have money."

– P1nk33

Wasting Is Better Than Charity

"Grabbing thrown out food from a groceries shop's dumpster."

– Clouddancerr

Recyclables In Japan

"In Japan? Recycling someone's garbage without permission. Touching their garbage at all. You could use a discarded couch and save it from the garbage dump, but be arrested for it."

– InvisibleMe21

Garbage Handling in Germany

"Strictly speaking in Germany too. The garbage is the can's owners property until it is picked up, at that point it becomes the waste management company's property. It's not a free-for-all once it's at the curb."

"If there's something you want from the garbage, just ask the owners. Usually you can have it."

– HermitAndHound

The world of retail had plenty of people scratching their heads.

Closing Out The Store

"I was store manager during the closing of a retail store. I was given permission to set my own prices (within limits) but they didn’t say I couldn’t layer employee discount on top. So my employees were getting $500 items for like $40, and all floor models and displays were 'damaged out' and just went home with people for free."

– Sh**tingmytrewes

Dumpster Diving

"Grabbing thrown out clothes from clothing stores/furniture/appliances, brand new stuff that just didn’t sell or was out of season. Truly wasteful and probably a terrible. My mom used to drive behind strip malls with me as a kid and we’d find all sorts of good stuff, Pier 1 Imports used to have some good stuff, so did Burlington Coat Factory."

– All_Usernames_Tooken

Damaging The Goods

"I worked retail and was instructed to damage the clothes before bagging and trashing. I pretended to damage, bagged them, damaged the top few and had a coworker pick them up after work to donate to a shelter."

– JustGiraffable

These rules of the road didn't make sense for Redditors.

Keeping The Roads Safe

"Sleeping in your car when your too drunk to drive."

– Yuaskin

Helping Others

"Paying for other people's parking meters."

– Tink2013

"Local ordinance all over the US forbid strangers for putting money in other people's meters. The locality would rather get parking ticket money."

– Tink2013

Here's The Key

"My friend caught a DWI charge (and somehow beat it) for sleeping one off in his car rather than driving home. Now he does it all the time in the warmer months but he locks his keys in his trunk and he's been woken up and harassed for it but where we live, they can't really give him too much grief because the keys aren't in the cabin."

– ebimbib

The next time you go dumpster diving to look for something you consider a treasure–depending on where you are–beware.

At least in the state of California, the act of scavenging is against the law because you are "stealing" items meant for a city-approved recycling company–basically an entity other than yourself–even if it's in the bin.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Zendaya
Jason Merritt/Getty Images

A Resurfaced Clip Of Zendaya On The Red Carpet During Her Disney Channel Days Is Our New Favorite Meme

Zendaya has become such a ubiquitous queen of Hollywood's A-list that it can be hard to remember she was once a cute li'l tween on the Disney channel.

Fans recently got a reminder when a clip of her Disney days resurfaced, and people are finding it hilariously relatable. The moment happened on the red carpet for the 2011 premiere of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the pop star's 2011 documentary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mehmet Oz; Donald Trump
Face The Nation/YouTube; @atrupar/X

Dr. Oz Forced To Walk Back Trump's Claims That MMR Vaccine Is 'Lethal' In Awkward Interview

On August 10, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans.

During the signing ceremony, the POTUS and the administration acolytes gathered around him shared medical misinformation, promoted conspiracy theories and quack pseudoscience, and made a number of outrageous claims like doses of vaccines administered to infants were the "size of a bottle of soda."

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Michael Swensen/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Has Eyeroll-Worthy Clapback After CNN Fact-Checks His 'Affordable' Meal Plan

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lashed out at CNN host Erin Burnett for running a segment that fact-checked his supposedly "affordable" meal plans for families.

Correspondent Tom Foreman tested the price of a recipe featured on Kennedy’s YouTube cooking show, The Real Food Show. Kennedy said the meal—wild Alaskan salmon cakes with a white-bean salad for four—cost just $19.64. But when Foreman priced the ingredients at a local grocery chain, the total came to $70.54.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump and Natalie Harp
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Photo Of Trump Aide Natalie Harp Sprinting After Trump's Golf Cart Has Critics Shaking Their Heads

Amid concerns about President Donald Trump's problematic relationship with his aide Natalie Harp, a 2023 photo has resurfaced that shows Harp chasing after the president's golf cart.

The photo, published by The Mirror, was taken on May 2, 2023, during a golf outing at Trump’s Turnberry resort in Scotland, less than a year after he launched his 2024 presidential campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Ruffalo
Hoda Davaine/Getty Images

Mark Ruffalo Hits Back After Paramount Accuses Him Of Antisemitism Over His Merger Criticism

Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo has been speaking out for months about the proposed $110 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery. Like most critics, his concern lies with the loss of jobs, who would control the merged media giant, and the consolidation of media into an ever shrinking sphere of influence.

In August 2025, Skydance Media founder David Ellison, using his tech billionaire Oracle co-founder father Larry's wealth and influence, completed an $8 billion merger with Paramount. Installed as the Paramount Skydance CEO, the younger Ellison then set his sights on Warner Bros Discovery.

Keep ReadingShow less