Diction and Emotional Resonance

In the following excerpt from a novel, the author's choice of diction significantly shapes the tone and characterization of the narrator. Read the excerpt carefully:

"On the edge of the dilapidated street, shadows danced beneath the flickering streetlamp, casting a gray pallor on the creaking wooden houses that leaned precariously toward the asphalt, as if they might succumb to the very weight of their secrets. I stood there, my heart a wild drum, echoing the whispers of a past too heavy to bear, too laden with memories I wished to forget."

Questions about diction and syntax often require a nuanced understanding of how specific word choices contribute to overall meaning. What effect does the author achieve through the use of the word 'succumb' in this context?