I think for a guy to rat is worse for his family then just doing the time like a man. Think about it, yeah, your away for a while, but your family is still in the same place; and they don't gotta droop their head when they walk outside. Whereas, when a guy flips, his family alot of the time has to pick up and leave their whole lives behind them. And if they stay; they cant walk around with their heads held high.
End of the day, being a rat is only for the mans sake; he can justify in his head however he wants, but when it comes down to it, its just as detrimental if not more to force your family to move and change identities than anything else.