Success has a way of changing your view about others, yourself and your own abilities, right or wrong.
Having said that, Connor took the opposite approach, didn't care what it would cost him, what he had built. His friendship was gold and he would defend it.
I remember telling my daughter that in life what you consider "friends" are really only acquaintances. In reality, most people have a few friends and many acquaintances.
A friend is someone you can call at 2am in the morning, needing some sort of help, and they will come in a moments request. That is gold!
Could Conner have done differently? Sure, but then he wouldn't be Connor. What we do, defines us much better than what we merely say.