This is very true in my experience. Java programs can have a dizzying profusion of classes that seem completely gratuitous until you start thinking, "How would

This is very true in my experience. Java programs can have a dizzying profusion of classes that seem completely gratuitous until you start thinking, "How would I do this in Java myself?" Then the classes start to make sense. You have to think in terms of implementation because the structure of the code is more complex than the solution expressed by the code. One way to understand why is to see that when a language can't directly express the ideas a programmer devises to solve a problem, the gap must be made up by design patterns. To put it another way, code = concepts + design patterns. When you're trying to figure out the intent of code, what it actually does, you rearrange the equation to read, concepts = code - design patterns. You have to recognize the design patterns in the code and subtract them out to realize what the code actually does. The more design patterns your code uses, the less the code reflects the concepts, and the more work you have to do to isolate the concepts.