Why is it Said that Among the Thirty-Six Stratagems, Fleeing is the Best?

@DailyLifeOfABeijingDrifter: Why is it said that among the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best?
A few years ago, you bought an "ice cream assassin" at a 7-Eleven and found out at checkout it cost 20 yuan. Would you put it back, or would you awkwardly bite the bullet and pay?
If you went to a restaurant with a friend, opened the menu, and found the food expensive and the portions tiny, would you just get up and pull your friend out?
Many people might feel too embarrassed and just endure it. This means they haven't realized that sometimes, running away is a trait of bravery.

During college military training, someone outside was handing out flyers offering free sunscreen—as long as you tried their new product. I was quite bored, so I went. The person led me through a maze of alleys into a small, windowless room with a beauty salon bed. I lay down, and a woman came over and smeared something on my forehead. When she finished, it looked like plaster—completely white. Then she started her sales pitch: their skincare set was 300 yuan. I said I wouldn't buy it. She said there was no way she could help me remove the white substance then; the makeup remover was specially formulated and cost 100 yuan per use. Pay 300, get it removed for free, and take the set; or pay 100, don't buy the set, get it removed and leave.
I got up and tried to bolt. The woman said to me, "How can a grown man be so petty?"
A normal person's sense of shame would kick in, and they might obediently pay up. But hearing this, I only felt angry. You're scamming me and calling me petty?
As I was leaving, she said, "You won't be able to wash that off with water!"
I thought to myself, "Bullshit, you think I never studied chemistry? There's nothing that can't be washed off."
This happened over a decade ago at the West Campus of the University of Finance and Economics, on Qingshui Street, I think. It was demolished later.

Yesterday, I was discussing that mess involving a top insurance salesperson with some friends. I was puzzled: did she go through all that just to game the company's rewards?
Mr. Wang said no, she was trying to hold onto what she already had. She loved her job too much; she still had an "exam-taking" mindset. It's just like how some real estate agents choose to sleep with clients to sell houses.
If you're already willing to sleep with someone, why not just find a client to keep you as a mistress?
Mr. Wang said this used to puzzle him too, but later he asked around and figured it out. For example, her goal was to sell houses; sleeping around was just a means. She didn't realize that simply being a mistress could earn her more—she just wanted to sell houses. She loved "taking exams" too much. Even years after graduation, she remained trapped in the exam-taking framework because taking exams is a path dependency and a comfort zone. Being a mistress doesn't come with social security and housing fund contributions; selling houses is at least a state-recognized job. You can't tell people you're a kept woman, but you can always say you're a real estate agent. This is the most basic human nature—people need a reason to make peace with themselves. Even if they decide to sell themselves, they must have a logical justification. By the same logic, workers in certain special industries also love to claim their father is an alcoholic and their brother needs to get married.

Even when the exam question itself has become utterly absurd, the test-taker is still striving for a high score.

Hearing this, everyone in the group marveled at Mr. Wang's rich life experience!