Are ethical decisions possible when your basic necessities are not met?

 There has always been the discussion if it is possible to take ethical decisions when basic necessities are not met. In desesperate situations, the human being has a survival instinct that can lead to break the limit of the ethical. Moreover, cannot that be controlled and come up with other solutions?
 On the one hand, there are people who break the law or do immoral things in order to achieve their purposes of getting, as in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, money or food, because Jamal and Salim's desire of fulfilling their hunger is greater than any other thought, such as if what they are doing is appropiate or not.
 On the other hand, we can see people who in case os needing something. directly ask for it if they cannot get it by their own means because they lack possibilities. They leave the discussion of dignity away and let other people decide wether they are helped or not instead of stealing to satisfy their needs. In my opinion, this way of trying to get what they lack is ethical in every possible way, as they are not harming anyone.
 All in all, my conclusion is that it is possible to take ethical decisions to fulfill your basic necessities but the ones who do not take them cannot be judged, as they find theirselves in a struggle to survive.