I agree, I realized the truth of your second-to-last sentence sometime during grad school. These people have played the academia game and it worked out for them

I agree, I realized the truth of your second-to-last sentence sometime during grad school. These people have played the academia game and it worked out for them, and their sense of self-worth and prestige is tied to their standing inside the system. Of course, the academia game is a lot more difficult to play these days.