Sense of value would be the biggest one for me.
Now think of games like Xcom and Dark Souls and other masterpieces where failure actually meant something, you'd find yourself fighting all the harder, that close encounter where you escaped at 10% hull felt all the more thrilling, your heartbeat goes to double its normal rate (if your unhealthy like me).
In short I like to feel an element of risk, not quite Dark Souls but I like it where it is. We have a choice to fly open and we have a choice to fly a ship we can afford to loose (or not).
I do see your point very clearly... This is exactly what happened to me and I am "hapily socializing in open mode, PvE prefering" person...
I got interdicted in my FDL on way from engineer base by another FDL.
I did not deploy weapons and typed in chat my usual thing: "Hello commander, how can I be of service?"
Absolutely no comms. Heat moded lasers, heat moded rockets, god knows what else moded weps started hitting me...
I boosted (grade 3 DD drives), but the oponent also had moded drives, so his speed was similar to mine...
FA-OFF turn to face him, boost towards him, very close pass.... BOOST BOOST BOOST in that direction (away from him), but he managed to turn and boost after me... I chatted "please dont TAB TAB TAB"
I was unable to boost out of range of his weps, temp 190, hull 10% when I high waked out.
I had the FDL fitted for PvE (Bi-Waves (enhanced mod), 5 HD boosters, KWS, HRP).
Anyone in unmodded ship would be dead in seconds.
Trader would be dead in miliseconds.
My heart was racing. But then I was thinking about this encounter and I just do not get it...
Why did he want to kill me?
What would he gain from killing me?
Why did he not communicate?
Why are people such A**hol*s ?