Warning! Spoilers ahead for Darth Vader #13
In the latest issue of Marvel's Darth Vader, the Dark Lord's new right-hand man Ochi of Bestoon explains the galactic mindset behind the Empire's rise to power. In the issue, Vader has forced Bokku the Hutt, a younger and more fearful member of the Hutt Clan, to work for him and use his connections to the underworld to determine the location of Han Solo. During their travels, Ochi explains to Bokku the true nature of the galaxy as he sees it and it's easy to see how the Empire became as powerful as it did in a galaxy far, far away.
In Darth Vader #13 from writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco, Darth Vader is determined to acquire Han Solo, who's still trapped in carbonite after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. Vader hopes to use the infamous smuggler as bait to draw out his son Luke. However, Vader's hopes of turning his son to the dark side of the Force are over after his trials on the planet Exegol. Now, Vader believes that the only path forward is to kill his son for the Emperor.
As such, Vader has forced the compliance of Bokku, who offers key information and his own barge for Vader's needs. As they travel in pursuit of Solo, Bokku asks Ochi if Darth Vader can be trusted to pay him once their mission is over despite his status as a Sith Lord. Being an assassin in service to the Sith, Ochi gives a rather dark but telling response about how the galaxy has long operated since the fall of the Republic. The Sith Lord's assistant tells Bokku that there's no safe haven in the galaxy. "You just find the biggest monster to stand behind...until you're a big enough monsters to—" Ochi says before he is cut off.
One can assume that the end of Ochi's point is that people must become a big enough monster until they're big enough to prey on others, rather than continuing to be prey themselves. It's a grim philosophy, but it's one that makes sense for the galaxy during this dark period of civil war. Ochi has already confirmed that the reason he's working for Vader is due to his policy of working for those in power, and it works on a bigger scale as well. It's why the Rebellion is so much smaller in comparison to the Empire, as many see their best chance of survival lies with standing behind the bigger monster. The Empire is so powerful and vast that the easiest—and more than likely only—way to live and prosper is to embrace it.
Given this dark and tragic truth provided by Ochi of Bestoon, it's remarkable that the Rebellion is even able to get off the ground at all, much less win. However, there are always those who choose to resist and fight for freedom even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable odds and extreme power such as with the Death Star, and the Rebellion would eventually triumph over the Empire. However, the Rebels at the moment are still struggling to regroup after The Empire Strikes Back and rescue Han Solo, and their job is only going to get harder thanks to Darth Vader being on the hunt as well.