But while promoting Lei's heroism and according him the treatment that few people of his age, irrespective of how hard they work, can have access to, did our media and society think of the negative influences they would have on his young mind? While hailing him as a hero, did we even care or try to find out whether he was going astray?

As a teenager with a premature mind, Lei offered enough clues of deviating from the normal path after being showered with praises and rewards. He is reported to have asked organizers of a program who had invited him four years ago to check him into a luxury single-bed room. After being admitted to the prestigious school in Chengdu, he liked traveling across the country instead of concentrating on his studies. He was also reported to prefer traveling first class while flying, and staying in four - or five-star hotels during tours. "I am a man of the State and the State will not leave me without care," he said when told to study harder.

It is a pity that not enough efforts were made to help Lei nurture healthy values and develop the correct outlook on life, which could have helped him resist the temptations that came with the honors and rewards. In the absence of correct guidance, excessive praise and honor extended could end up creating an unhealthy environment for a youth's growth.

Lei is not the first Wenchuan quake hero to face prosecution. Chen Yan, a 42-year-old volunteer who, along with members of a national disaster relief team, was lauded for saving 29 students from the rubble of a local high school received a three-year suspended sentence for fraud late last year.

Thus it is time to review the practice of showering honors and rewards on individuals who people believe have set high moral and social standards if we do not have the inclination or cannot find the time to check how these individuals have been shaping their lives.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. [email protected]