a Santa Claus?

I've been thinking more about Jesus' way of serving others, and I was reminded of this passage from The City of Joy (about ministry in a slum in Calcutta):

"I've come to learn the validity of a strange reality here," he said. "In a slum an exploiter is better than a Santa Claus..." Confronted by his father's stupified expression, he went on to explain, "An exploiter forces you to react, whereas a Santa Claus demobilizes you."