I had so much to say and it's barely coherent even two days later. My first one for this morning is that both people who love him most, Baelfire and Belle, leave Rumpelstiltskin with the exact same words/message:

"You coward!" - Baelfire

"You're a coward, Rumpelstiltskin" - Belle

That by the time he can regret the choices that lead to either, each of them is gone beyond recovering. (Plus, as I'm writing this I'm realize how much Bael and Belle are Homonyms of each other when you say them together.)