Very many human vices originate from one single thing - cowardice. It pushes people to baseness and meanness, depriving them of their will to resist the low-lying nature of the soul. Unfortunately, many stories of moral decline are inspired and conditioned by fear, which, unlike many sins, is not so easy to notice on time and not so easy to disarm on time.
The hero of the story by A. Pushkin “The Captain's Daughter”, Alexei Shvabrin, suffered from cowardice. This officer derailed his whole life, pleasing one or the other fear. The first time he was frightened of fair competition and sank to lies, hypocrisy and meanness in a duel with Peter. It was necessary to honestly fight for the heart of Marya, and he only humiliated himself in her eyes. During the seizure of the Belgorod fortress, he is trying with all his might to survive, forgetting about the duty of honor, about the oath, that his friends are dying at the hands of rebels. Aleksey even had a set of simple clothes for himself so that Pugachev would take him for a native of ordinary people. All these terrible actions gave rise to cowardice.
Another example was described by A.P. Chekhov in the story "The Death of an Official." Chervyakov was so afraid of his superior masters that he died, unable to please the general. During the performance, he accidentally sneezed on Brizzhalov's bald head. He condescendingly forgave him, not wanting to focus on the incident. But the petty official was terribly afraid of the anger of a superior, consulted with his wife, and in the morning went to the general's reception room to beg forgiveness. He was also forgiven this time. But Chervyakov’s suspiciousness again led him to Brizzhalov, it all seemed to him that he deliberately misled him, and then suddenly complain to his direct boss. Having received the general's angry cry, the officer died of frustration. His fear of losing his place became the basis of inner slavery, which led him to complete spiritual ruin.
Thus, cowardice is indeed the most terrible vice that kills a person from within and subjugates him to slavish instincts, forcing a person to grovel before the powers that be. This is the psychological basis of all human flaws, which nests deep in the subconscious.
