Mice and Men

Would you ever kill your best friend if you knew it was better for them than a life in chains or being killed by another? Michael B. Jordan's character in Black Panther said to let him die because he knew death was better than a life in chains, like his ancestors who jumped from boats to avoid being slaves. Is this idea of death over chains considered compassionate killings? Do we pity them to the point where we honestly think death is better than life not free. Many caretakers have murdered their own family members because the act of having to take care of them 24/7 is too much for them. Is that too considered a mercy killing even if the life killed was innocent and not to blame for their condition? Would you want to die over living a life not free? Is life as a slave or imprisoned a fate worse than death? Is this why there are so many in prisons who commit suicide? Is this why those who are caught in acts of treason kill themselves rather than face the penalties of their crimes? What is considered a mercy or compassionate killing verses murder. Where is the line drawn?