Like an occult, or prison camp, once you’re worn down and out it’s not an easy thing to buck the system. You “believe” regardless of the reality before you.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. People voluntarily make these choices. It’s not easy to buck any system, like for instance marriage (much harder to leave in adversity) or a job one hates, or one church group for another, or selling one house where you’ve lived thirty years and raised all your children.