Every one who's ever treated me (or others I've been around) this way has failed miserably, mostly due to this type of character flaw. What this says to me is

Every one who's ever treated me (or others I've been around) this way has failed miserably, mostly due to this type of character flaw. What this says to me is that Steve grew out of this just in time and with a little luck and a lot of self improvement, became better. Good on him.