Not just imagine, it has happened multiple times in aviation and continues to happen.

Corporate gigs, where the “boss” threatens the pilot with his job if he refuses an airplane for maintenance or a trip for weather. Outfits that pay by the mile and don’t lay if the trip doesn’t make it to the destination. Everts Airfuels in AK used to be a horrendous example of that practice and if I’m not mistaken Mesa had the same at one time. Mesa also at one time would fire a pilot who refused an aircraft for any fault that was listed on the MEL. I rode on a 1900 one time from DEN to SAF that had the flaps MEL’d. The list goes on and on.