I’m talking specifically about those in the control room.
Xenon’s effect at start up and at power are a well known phenomenon in the nuclear power community. Wether it’s a xenon precluded startup, or inherent sub-criticality due to the anticipated amount of xenon present in the core as a direct result of power history, the anticipated effects shouldn’t be a surprise to any properly trained operator. Especially a veteran such as Dyatlov. I’m sure he recognized this, contrary to how the show portrayed it.
Regardless of the pressure he put on himself in order to please the state, every step he took and order he gave should have severely challenged his mental state of self preservation. Even without knowing the inherent flaw in the control rods during the A3-5 (SCRAM) situation, uncontrolled Start Up Rate (SUR) and high power excursions should have been enough to make him want to avoid even the slightest compromise to the reactors integrity; no matter the commitments he made to state.
I know who you're talking about. I think you vastly underestimate the fear of the State/KGB the citizens lived with during that era. Furthermore, people in positions of even moderate power were often selected by the State specifically for their willingness to do what the Party would want, regardless of what we understand as "the right thing to do". Very few were in a position of power because they were the best person for the job.