Sentence:  ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,' said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]?  Or should he say nothing about it and <WSD>condone</WSD> brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers? 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked).