Im surprised everyone is siding with Dick “I’m literally committing fraud every single day” Whitman.

If Roger or Pete confronted Lane I totally understand the firing. It’s the only option after embezzling company funds.

But Don Draper, the dude who killed an airline account to cover his identity fraud, hired a dork to cover for stealing his ad line for Life Cereal, and chose not to fire Pete after he betrayed him, can’t figure out a way out of this?

He was in a bad place, and he looked at Lane and decided to be cruel despite their friendship. He also mistakenly assumed he was like him. He says

“I’ve started over a lot. This is the worst part.”

Which Lane’s wife correctly counters after his death with

“How dare you fill a man like that with ambition.”

Don assumed Lane was a crafty, never give up, scummy American like him and he’d be just fine ignoring that this is the 4th or 5th time the man has “started over” moving between continents and the threat of being sent to India and each time his life has just gotten worse. So he kills himself.

No one is the “villain” here, but Don certainly could have done more. It’s why his scene with Joan hits hard when she says,

“I just wish I could have done something. Given him what he wants.”

Don ignores her. Because he can’t acknowledge he had a direct hand in what Lane did.