Pain and suffering is one of the few guarantees in existence. Some flee from it, others avoid it, and others simply accept it as it comes. Only the very strange actively seek out pain and suffering. Madness is never a guarantee, only a possible outcome. For all we know, it is those with such tenacity as to survive against all odds that are actually the ones to crawl into the higher ranks.
Simply giving up only results in one outcome. Any other outcome, regardless of how improbable, is made impossible by choosing to give up.