User blog comment:Tephra/Hardcore Ethics/@comment-4889310-20150823100910

If you want my personal opinion on the matter, I think it's more a question of one's morals rather than anything else. For me, yeah, I'd probably take the easy way out and Save and Exit. Feel free to garner a laugh about that, if you want.

This being said, there are times when it's more understandable. Could have events like what Pyramus noted in his post, for example. Gotta keep your eyes peeled for times like that. It'd be completely frustrating if all the work I could have done on a Hardcore character could be permanently undone because of another character who wanted nothing more than to outright kill said character out of hatred (or greed for the loot in D2's case!).

All in all, however, there's one thing that stands out more than the rest; there's no 'right/wrong answer' to that question. What may serve as the closest definition to that varies from person to person. What may work for me, may not work for someone else.