One great thing about the show is how ideologies clash. Although every single survivor in TWD exist in the same world, their individual experiences will vary to certain extremes. Everyone had to adapt to a sudden change in civilization; their lives were turned upside-down.

I like Morgan, but he can be frustrating at times. He was lost and broken after losing his son. If he hadn't ran into Eastman, he eventually would have turned into a wild savage. This is why I think he tries to help enemies...he sees what he could've been if it weren't for Eastman. He knows what it's like to embrace darkness, yet he was shown mercy. Is it dangerous for him to even think about trying to rehabilitate the Wolves, and whatever other groups of savages that intend to destroy everything? Hell yeah, it is. But, Morgan thinks it's worth the risk, and this is where a clash between Rick and Morgan's ideologies is most imminent.

As you mentioned, Rick and Co. had to deal with a cult-ish cannibal community. If that experience wasn't traumatic enough, he had to deal with the possibility of his children being slaughtered like cattle. Another crazy experience is him being held at gunpoint while some perverts were trying to rape Carl. He tried to be a reasonable person quite a few times, but he reached the point where pleading for diplomacy was too much of a risk.

The clash between Rick and Morgan's ideologies are similar to the rehabilitation/execution of criminals that we see in the real world. Can evil, murderous people turn their lives around and become better people or are they too far gone for saving? This is a complex question made even more complex in a zombie apocalypse.