Thomas is a diabetic. while at work, he began to tremble, was somewhat disoriented, and showed signs similar to that of a drunk. one of his colleagues gave him some hard candy, which seemed to him return to normal functions. why did hard candy have this effect? was giving hard candy a proper action, considering that thomas is diabetic?

I believe the answer is: The candy raised his blood sugar back up to a normal level. This was a proper action because he was hypoglycemic.

Maintaining proper level of blood sugar is very important because they played a role in maintaining our energy level and concentration.
People with hypoglycmia tend to constantly experience low blood sugar level, and one of the things that could be done to manage it is by consuming small amount of glucose within extended time period.