@Noyou -- The fact that he mentions that he's a teen with a spinal condition that limits his activities is relevant for two reasons: a) it tells me he probably has few close friends, if any, because not only is he unable to engage in alot of the activities which his peers enjoy, but also, teenagers can be mean as shit to anyone who is "different", and b) it explains why WoW isn't merely a game to him, it's a way for him to interact with people where his disability is completely irrelevant, if not entirely unknown; it lets him feel normal, and that's important to teenagers. All of this explains why, even though this friend of his doesn't seem to be a CLOSE friend, he felt compelled to help him anyway -- this is the guy who got him into WoW, and WoW is clearly a meaningful part of this kid's life.

I don't blame his guild for acting the way that they did. If they're a casual guild, they're probably much less stringent on who they're willing to invite, and they may have had several prior experiences with people removing "worthless" stuff from the GB for non-guild purposes. It's also possible the demotion wasn't so much punishment as it was an attempt to prevent the guild from also being victimized if this "friend" tries once again to take advantage of "Spineless" -- because chances are good he will.

It's pointless, however, to tell "Spineless" how he SHOULD have handled the situation without also telling him what he should now do to make amends -- and it's clear he DOES need to make amends to the guild, at the very least to earn back the trust he lost. He needs to approach the GM, on a low-level alt if he just can't face the rest of the guild, and apologize, explain that he realizes in retrospect he was used and is embarrassed by the entire situation, and ask what he can do to get back into the guild's good graces. Do they need the materials replaced? Fine, he'll do his best to restore the GB to it's previous state. Is it really just a matter of principle? Ok, he'll pay a sum of gold in restitution and penance.

My guild operates a little bit differently than the average raiding guild; it's comprised primarily of a core group of people who have played together for years, plus RL friends and family of those people. Thus, although not everyone has equal guild bank access, most everyone feels they have a stake in the guild. As a result, most if not all of us consult with one another before removing items from the guild bank, although it's not actually required. The GM limits access to certain tabs, and has one set aside specifically for Cata mats and other high-value items that only he can access. No one in the guild has full access to any tab except for the GM, and alts rarely get access to the bank at all (if you need something that badly, you can log on your main for it). Other than the odd hacker here or there, I don't think we've ever had anyone try to loot the guild bank...