What does the word "Pity" mean?

Do you think she has pride or is just mean?

• I attend school with my best friend, Robyn. She breaks up fights when they start, she keeps the seniors from bullying the freshmen (she is a retained junior; not her fault, though) and she's always happy to lend money to a friend and if she sees someone in line who doesn't have enough, she'll give a dollar to them without them asking. That's not to say she goes patrolling the hallways like a guard or advertising she's giving away money, but basically, she's just very nice and no one takes advantage of her. Today, she offered to buy lunch for a girl who had none and was sitting by herself. This girl almost never eats lunch because she usually has no money to pay for it (and when she does, it's just the cheapest item from the vending machine). So when she told this to Robyn and Robyn offered to buy her lunch for today, she got offended. I don't remember everything word-for-word, but it went like this: Robyn: I have some extra money on me. Would you like me to buy you some lunch? You can have whatever you want. Other girl: No thanks! I don't need your pity, you rich b*tch! Go flaunt your money in someone else's face! Robyn: Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you! I only wanted to be nice! I thought you were hungry! Other girl: I am hungry, but I have pride, thank you! I don't need charity! I don't need the school's pity and I don't need yours! I guess by "the school's pity", she meant the free lunch program. Robyn left her alone, but I honestly think the girl was stupid and a jerk. She could've politely declined, but even moreso, I don't get what's so shameful about accepting an offer. If she was truly hungry, would it really have hurt her to swallow her pride and say "yes"? What do you think? She has pride or she's just plain mean?

• Answer:

  The girl probably thought that Robyn was kind of making fun of her for being poor, which is obviously not the case. You're right though, the girl could have politely declined instead of being rude about it. Sounds like there's something else going on in that girl's life. Also sounds like poeple make fun of her for never having money. No reason to be rude though.