A Test

A man had a wife and three children who he loved greatly. He wanted only what was best for them. He knew that they needed to grow in strength and virtue, and he wanted to see if they really loved him like they should. So he devised a test for them. The youngest was a boy, David, the middle child was a girl, Mary, and the oldest a boy named Matthew. David and Mary were the two closest siblings, playing together all the time. The father saw that the best way to test Mary was to inflict pain on David. So he secretly introduced small doses of poison to his food on a daily basis. Soon David grew ill. Mary became sad. She became concerned, as concerned as a small child is capable of. The children's mother became distraught. He told his family to be strong, that this was a test, and if they pulled through it, they would all be stronger. After several painful weeks, David passed away. Mary stopped talking. The children's mother was inconsolable. She became depressed and committed suicide. The father did his best to raise the remaining children alone. Eventually, Mary had to be institutionalized. Matthew grew up without a mother. Without a brother. Without a sister. When he was 18, the father sat him down and told him what he had done. He said he'd done it to test them all, and that because they all had free will, his mother and sister had failed the test. Only Matthew had passed the firs test, but the knowledge he now had would determine the outcome of his final test. Matthew became angry and blamed David and his mother's deaths on the Man. He left home and never spoke to his father again.

Was the man in this story:

A) A monster
B) Misguided
C) A Benevolent Father who Loves His Children