Knowing you could have done something but were too afraid for your own life will eat you up for a very long time.

And the knowledge that it would ultimately accomplish nothing except killing yourself and a few bajorans while trying to escape doesn’t help.

Everyone likes to think they’d fight the good fight, resist at all costs, oppose all force… But ultimately until you’re in that situation, you won’t know for sure. And you don’t want to find out for sure.