Physical life vs. "Life as a man"

[knast]

A prisoner can live with the hope that someday he will escape or be liberated. If this were not the case then prisoners should commit suicide at their earliest opportunity or convenience. I am not sure one can say absolutely in all cases what is a good life or a bad life. One can always say which kind of life he would -prefer- and which kind he would not prefer

Of course. It would be up to yourself to judge whether a good life is possible in the future, and that your current state of life is still worth fighting for. The same goes for people who are, say, suffering from a horrible illness with a dim prospect of surviving it. Maybe they will find a cure soon enough? Maybe not. If you don't think they will, then perhaps it would be better to end your life now, instead of going through a lot of unnecessary misery. What kind of choice you make is all up to you.