There is something else. If you're in this position, you know full well that the odds of ever escaping from the trap are heavily against you. So the question c

There is something else. If you're in this position, you know full well that the odds of ever escaping from the trap are heavily against you. So the question comes up, why try? Why sacrifice what little you now have and pit yourself against years of hardship to build yourself to a point where you will still be 10 to 20 years behind those with the privilege of being born into wealthier and more stable families? Unfortunately the answer I saw time and again in others, was that there is no value in trying. And my experience with growing up in poverty, sleeping rough, working without education (I thankfully never went to prison even though members of my family did)... is precisely that whilst I succeeded in breaking the cycle of poverty that disadvantage creates, I am indeed 10 to 20 years behind my peers who were born into a better situation. People born into privilege (white, male, Western, middle-class, stable extended family) are born at the top of the mountain. Those born without privilege have a mountain to climb. Those born into disadvantage have an ocean to swim just to find the mountain and will get lost along the way. I'm a big believer in giving people a chance. You will never see such determination and resourcefulness in people like you will in someone who has come from a dark place and will pit everything they are to make sure that they never return to that dark place. And even at the base of the mountain, you will never find people who will help lift others like those who have already struggled to get there. It's a real blight on the Western world that we collectively abandon and condemn so many able and smart people who want to do better.