Like rats leaving a sinking ship.
For the record, I have great respect for rats. They're willing to admit to themselves that a ship is sinking long before the snooty high-brow types will.
In that final hour, when each breath is a struggle to take, and you are looking back over your life's accomplishments, which memories would you treasure? The empires you built, or the joy you spread to others?
Therin lies the true measure of a man.