Imagine you are working as a gate agent on a completely full flight late in the evening. Boarding has closed and the aircraft door is about to be shut. A passenger arrives at the gate in visible distress and explains that they were delayed by security screening. They tell you they are travelling to their sibling's funeral the following morning, and missing this flight means they will not arrive in time. Allowing the passenger to board would delay departure, inconvenience other passengers and crew, and potentially cause missed connections. Refusing boarding keeps the flight on time and treats all passengers consistently but guarantees that this individual will miss the funeral. Would you choose justice for the good of everyone else's concern, or would you be merciful to a single passenger? This is a Justice vs. Mercy dilemma.
I have the power to either let the passenger in the aircraft or deny the passenger that privilege. It's easy to assume that the actions of the passenger are irresponsible when I'm close to power. This is because I have the levers of power and so power respond to me accordingly. The passenger's distress is real and quoting policies are a conceited way to deny that distress. When selfishly motivated, we don't spend enough time just acknowledging the issue existing and spend too much time arguing about why catering to one passenger is a recipe for disaster. Therefore, in this scenario, I would delay the flight and apply a Care-Based ethical principal by letting this passenger in.