"Won't back down"--just because you won't cower doesn't mean it won't hurt. When you're being harrassed/bullied--people will always tell you to stand up for yourself: if it's an issue of confidence or inferiority complexes, as is with Balto; then that's gonna be an issue concerning the power they already have over you, and what they'll do to get it back--so I guess this deals with consequence as well as comuppence. Basically the one thing to bear in mind: the one with the broken ego is in charge of a box marked 'fragile.'