This is the kind of episode I really dislike; it involves one or two of the regular characters and a bunch that we've never seen before--and, of course, will never see again. The story requires that we see how dangerous the situation is, so there has to be a high body count, and we can't kill off half of the regulars and recast the show, so we bring along a bunch of one-shots and get rid of them before the episode is two-thirds over. The only real mystery is in what order the expendables will die.
That leaves the "insight" into O'Brien's and Garak's characters that the episode shows us--but like many other "moments of truth" in Deep Space Nine, it's never referred to again by either character or by Nog, who is also present.
The writer's intention was to mimic the feel of a horror movie--but unfortunately, it does so too well; it mimics a horror movie's predictability.
That leaves the "insight" into O'Brien's and Garak's characters that the episode shows us--but like many other "moments of truth" in Deep Space Nine, it's never referred to again by either character or by Nog, who is also present.
The writer's intention was to mimic the feel of a horror movie--but unfortunately, it does so too well; it mimics a horror movie's predictability.