In All My Sons, was Joe Keller a coward for commiting suicide instead of turning himself in?

I suppose this is a matter of interpretation; however, I
do not think that Joe Keller committed suicide at the end of All My Sons
because he was afraid of turning himself in to the authorities.  Joe wants to
be a strong leader for his family, and this is what largely motivates him to break the
law in the first place.  He wants to leave behind the business to his sons as a legacy
and he fears that not complying with the government's demand for machine parts will put
the business at risk.  When problems arise, he blames the incident on Deever to avoid
looking bad to his family.  After his lies are exposed, Joe cannot bear to face Chris
and he must reckon with the fact that he is indirectly responsible for the death of his
other son Larry.  The authorities do not scare Joe--appearing weak and guilty in front
of his family does.