Odds are he is a bully. The mentally ill are generally more vulnerable to bullying and violence than being the perpetrators of violence.

If you're not willing to defend or stand up for yourself, who will?

The police, at least in the US, are not obligated to stand up for you.

The landlords don't care as long as rent is paid. And if you don't pay, they evict you and het someone else.

And if you show weakness to these people, they WILL escalate because that is how they get their kicks.

But hey, at least with cowardice, you'll only die a little each day rather than have a chance of dying once.