It's the nature of depression that he might have even thought he was doing his family a favour.<p>Suicide is often a reaction to a set of constraints that are perceived to be unsolvable. I.e. I can't fail, but I'm gonna. I can't let my loved ones down. I can't stand to face my friends after doing X. The pain is unbearable, so I'll just save everyone the trouble...<p>Imagine a warrior who commits suicide rather than admitting defeat, because he can't face the shame (quite possibly imagined) of failing in his duties.