It's much easier to make these takeoff decisions in the airlines than in the bush. In the airlines it's black and white, yes or no.
I remember trying to decide between uphill with an estimated 15kts of headwind or downhill with the tail in a 210 on a bumby dirt strip, 3 POB and about 800m, hot.
In the end I went uphill with a go/no go point to make 40kts. It worked but afterwards I didn't feel very good about the ratio of luck to skill. I can't remember if we got the stall warning.
In that situation, young, low hours, 200nm from the nearest shop, middle aged grumpy pax and no guidance from CP or owner with regard to delaying a flight , no training for similar situations during CPL, it really comes down to the decision making skills the pilot has developed throughout their schooling and teen years. At that stage of life there is a fair bit of ego naturally embedded as well.
In an ideal world the CPL syllabus and the company would have given guidance on making tough calls but that is often not the reality.
If I could go back I think I would have either delayed until the wind changed or ferried each bloke individually to a nearby flat strip but a conservative decision like that is the result of experience and exposure to wiser older heads through two crew flying which was still 1000hrs away at that stage.