[marcus_holmes]

I had a mate around the same time who was voluntarily homeless. A Falklands veteran who'd worked on bomb disposal. They didn't know what PTSD was back then, but after he'd seen too many of his friends blown up in buildings, he didn't trust them much, and preferred living outdoors.

But that's a different thing, I think.

Totally agree, for some people painting themselves as innocent victims of circumstance allowed them to avoid all responsibility for their lives, and let them continue avoiding facing unpleasant/difficult truths about themselves. Not all, obviously, but there were those who didn't want to change because change would be painful.