I expect your intelligence helped as well. Many people would simply not be capable of that type of self-directed learning, however much uninterrupted time they

I expect your intelligence helped as well. Many people would simply not be capable of that type of self-directed learning, however much uninterrupted time they had on their hands. That advantage is probably a big part of what allowed you to get through the experience and even get some benefit from it. This reminds me of a similar thing you see with people who manage to escape the trap of abusive or just otherwise bad parents. Many people fall into mimicking those same behaviors later in life, or are just so psychologically damaged by them that it significantly hampers their future quality of life. Of course, some people do manage to have positive, productive lives despite terrible childhood experiences, but on average those who do tend to have above-average intelligence; they're able to rationalize what happened to them, and thereby have some control over its effects.