Stalemate is an interesting tactic. You avoid it when you're winning, but go for it when you're losing. It reminds me of life, where people sometimes settle for whatever they can get, either out of fear of losing more or a lack of belief in something better.
Discussion
Because of how the elo rating is calculated, the weaker player get more points in a stalemate to begin with.
it's also a thing in non-games where it's better to survive than die
Stalemate as a special case of compromise