Empathy - Interpretation of an old indian tale

This is a story that I read probably in the chandamama magazine but I have heard it many times

3 thieves had just stolen a lot of money and then went to their hiding place and went about dividing the loot among themselves.  At some point in the night, one of the thieves by mistake put his finger in a crevice in the hideout and was bit by scorpion. As he experienced pain, he felt that since his friends had shared the good fortune of the booty with him, they should also share his pain, Instead of crying out loud, he started laughing and showing signs of joy and saying aha , aha , aha.