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Someone has been held for a long time in a place, or has been a member of an institution where their freedoms have been very much limited, such as a prison or a mental hospital, and has either difficulties in fitting in outside, or wants to remain in or return to their former place of confinement. Some wild animals too much used to be cared for by humans might also become unable to function in nature. Some TV shows centered on families also have stories of the mother getting bored when her children are away and she's no longer obligated to do her household duties.
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Someone has been held for a long time in a place, or has been a member of an institution where their freedoms have been very much limited, such as a prison or a mental hospital, and has either difficulties in fitting in outside, or wants to remain in or return to their former place of confinement. Some wild animals too much used to be cared for by humans might also become unable to function in nature.nature (which is why rangers put up "Don't Feed Wildlife" signs). Some TV shows centered on families also have stories of the mother getting bored when her children are away and she's no longer obligated to do her household duties.
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Someone has been held for a long time in a place, or has been a member of an institution where their freedoms have been very much limited, such as a prison or a mental hospital, and has either difficulties in fitting in outside, or wants to remain in or return to their former place of confinement. Some wild animals too much used to be cared for by humans might also become unable to function in nature.
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Someone has been held for a long time in a place, or has been a member of an institution where their freedoms have been very much limited, such as a prison or a mental hospital, and has either difficulties in fitting in outside, or wants to remain in or return to their former place of confinement. Some wild animals too much used to be cared for by humans might also become unable to function in nature.
nature. Some TV shows centered on families also have stories of the mother getting bored when her children are away and she's no longer obligated to do her household duties.
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[[AC:Comic Strips]]
* In ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'', Garfield himself tried liberating animals from a pet store but they were all too timid to leave their cages, and were relieved when Garfield locked them back in after he saw how unhappy they were.
** Even Garfield himself fell into this trope before in a 1986 sequence where he ran away from home being fed up with Jon's daily demands of him bringing in the newspaper. However, Garfield was unable to provide for himself since he couldn't find any fresh food, water or shelter around him and was so desperate that he tried running back to Jon. His efforts to find Jon mostly failed until an elderly pet store owner helped him reunite the two.
* In ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'', Garfield himself tried liberating animals from a pet store but they were all too timid to leave their cages, and were relieved when Garfield locked them back in after he saw how unhappy they were.
** Even Garfield himself fell into this trope before in a 1986 sequence where he ran away from home being fed up with Jon's daily demands of him bringing in the newspaper. However, Garfield was unable to provide for himself since he couldn't find any fresh food, water or shelter around him and was so desperate that he tried running back to Jon. His efforts to find Jon mostly failed until an elderly pet store owner helped him reunite the two.
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Related to FreedomFromChoice, HappinessInSlavery, HopeIsScary, {{Manchild}}, QuicksandBox, TheresNoPlaceLikeHome, JustGotOutOfJail. Can be a consequence of StockholmSyndrome.
See more on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_syndrome here]].
See more on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_syndrome here]].
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Related to FreedomFromChoice, HappinessInSlavery, HopeIsScary, {{Manchild}}, QuicksandBox, TheresNoPlaceLikeHome, JustGotOutOfJail. Can be a consequence of StockholmSyndrome.
StockholmSyndrome. May be a factor in a soldier going FromCamouflageToCriminal, if they turn to crime because they couldn't adjust to civilian life.
Can be TruthInTelevision, though real life examples are often far more complex than how it's usually shown in fiction. See more on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_syndrome here]].
Can be TruthInTelevision, though real life examples are often far more complex than how it's usually shown in fiction. See more on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_syndrome here]].
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* Despite slavery being abolished in 1865, many slaves chose to stay on the plantations they worked on since they didn't know what life was like elsewhere.
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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfields_subjects_not_used_to_freedom.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfields_subjects_not_used_to_freedom.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfields_subjects_not_used_to_freedom.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's too late. They don't know what life is like outside of a cage.]]
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* In ''Film/WarForThePlanetOfTheApes'', Caesar and his tribe of apes are ultimately enslaved by a human militia called Alpha-Omega that uses other apes who aren't used to being free outside of a zoo to enforce and whip the enslaved apes into submission for labor.
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* ''FanFic/TraitorsFace'': After spending her entire childhood in a small cage, [[spoiler:Katara]] often feels unsafe in new surroundings after being freed. [[spoiler:Bloodbending helps her to get over this fear, though.]]
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* In 1994, an Oklahoma prison warden's [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bobbi_Parker wife]] was abducted by an inmate. When she was rescued and returned to her husband in 2005, her husband noted how timid she was and how she would ask him permission for everything--using the bathroom, eating or drinking, even leaving the room.
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* In 1994, an Oklahoma prison warden's [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bobbi_Parker wife]] wife Bobbi Parker ]] was abducted by an inmate.inmate Randolph Dial. When she was rescued and returned to her husband in 2005, her husband noted how timid she was and how she would ask him permission for everything--using the bathroom, eating or drinking, even leaving the room.
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* After ''Film/{{Harriet}}'' escapes to the free North, her bewilderment and culture shock is clearly portrayed. Luckily, she's able to access a solid support network for refugees from slavery, and quickly finds her feet.
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->''Believe what you want. These walls are funny. First, you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them.''
-->--'''Red''', ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''
-->--'''Red''', ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''
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-->--'''Red''',
-->-- '''Red''', ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''
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* The Borg of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' expand their collective by "assimilating" people into their hive mind, effectively wiping out their individual identities. While those rescued quickly can usually recover, long-term drones separated from the collective will struggle to adapt.
** In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E23IBorg I, Borg]]", the ''Enterprise'' rescues a Borg drone from a crashed ship. His first few interactions with the crew involve telling them that [[CatchPhrase they will be assimilated]], and he struggles to understand why people find this so distasteful. Even when he begins to develop an individual identity, it's all based on his life in the moment; he never indicates that he remembers who he was prior to being assimilated.
** In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' [[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS3E25S4E1Scorpion Season 4 premiere]], the ''Voyager'' crew encounters a Borg drone who had been human. She is not at all happy to be "liberated" from the collective. In subsequent episodes, she begins to accept herself as an individual, but she still retains elements of the Borg, as exemplified by her decision to continue using her Borg designation rather than going back to her human name. (The fact that she was assimilated as a young child and literally grew up Borg probably plays a role in this.)
** In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E23IBorg I, Borg]]", the ''Enterprise'' rescues a Borg drone from a crashed ship. His first few interactions with the crew involve telling them that [[CatchPhrase they will be assimilated]], and he struggles to understand why people find this so distasteful. Even when he begins to develop an individual identity, it's all based on his life in the moment; he never indicates that he remembers who he was prior to being assimilated.
** In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' [[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS3E25S4E1Scorpion Season 4 premiere]], the ''Voyager'' crew encounters a Borg drone who had been human. She is not at all happy to be "liberated" from the collective. In subsequent episodes, she begins to accept herself as an individual, but she still retains elements of the Borg, as exemplified by her decision to continue using her Borg designation rather than going back to her human name. (The fact that she was assimilated as a young child and literally grew up Borg probably plays a role in this.)
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To fix a spelling error.
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* In the Fairy Tail fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Singularity}}'', after being locked up in a lab for eight years, Lucy isn't use to the new freedom she now has aboard the ship she has been hidden away on. Only some coaxing from Natsu and Erza gets her to leave her room, even then she is rather timid.
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* In the Fairy Tail fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Singularity}}'', after being locked up in a lab for eight years, Lucy isn't use used to the new freedom she now has aboard the ship she has been hidden away on. Only some coaxing from Natsu and Erza gets her to leave her room, even then she is rather timid.
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* In the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Critical Gas", [[MistakenForDying Dexter believes he's going to die]], and one of the things he does is tell his robots that they are free. They have no idea what he's talking about, and so just stand in place until Dexter [[HypocriticalHumor demands]] that they leave an be free. They do slowly start to get the concept [[BlackComedyBurst right before getting run over by a truck]].
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* In the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Critical Gas", [[MistakenForDying Dexter believes he's going to die]], and one of the things he does is tell his robots that they are free. They have no idea what he's talking about, and so just stand in place until Dexter [[HypocriticalHumor demands]] that they leave an be free."be free" and leave. They do slowly start to get the concept [[BlackComedyBurst right before getting run over by a truck]].
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* In the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Critical Gas", [[MistakenForDying Dexter believes he's going to die]], and one of the things he does is tell his robots that they are free. They have no idea what he's talking about, and so just stand in place until Dexter [[HypocriticalHumor demands]] that they leave an be free. They do slowly start to get the concept [[BlackComedyBurst right before getting run over by a truck]].
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Master Yao has been sealed inside a wooden box for over sixty years, and is extremely energetic and excited about the outside world when let out for the first time.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
* ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'': Whenever Marlene, who was born in captivity, steps one foot outside the zoo walls she becomes a feral, mindless snarling beast that's incapable of reason.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Master Yao has been sealed inside a wooden box for over sixty years, and is extremely energetic and excited about the outside world when let out for the first time.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
* ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'': Whenever Marlene, who was born in captivity, steps one foot outside the zoo walls she becomes a feral, mindless snarling beast that's incapable of reason.
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* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', Rango the lizard lives in a box but then is forced to live in the desert. He has trouble both fitting in and [[NotHyperbole surviving]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
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* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', Rango the lizard lives in a box but then is forced to live in the desert. He has trouble both fitting in and [[NotHyperbole surviving]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.even staying alive.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
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* ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'': Whenever Marlene, who was born in captivity, steps one foot outside the zoo walls she becomes a feral, mindless snarling beast that's incapable of reason.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Master Yao has been sealed inside a wooden box for over sixty years, and is extremely energetic and excited about the outside world when let out for the first time.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Master Yao has been sealed inside a wooden box for over sixty years, and is extremely energetic and excited about the outside world when let out for the first time.
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* In the short story "Literature/AModelLife", James finds himself bored and maladjusted to everyday life after retiring from being a cop. It reaches the point where he tries to use his gun just to blow off steam.
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* The final chapter of ''Literature/TheMentalState'' partly deals with the main character's return to society after his stint in prison. As a result of his overuse of underhanded and ruthless tactics to achieve his ambitions results in him feeling bereft upon being released. He no longer has the recognition, respect, challenge or drive he had while behind bars and frequently visits the prison to see how everyone else is coping since his departure. [[spoiler:Luckily, he is able to reconnect with his lost love, suggesting that there may still be hope for his future]].
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* In 1994, an Oklahoma prison warden's [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bobbi_Parker wife]] was abducted by an inmate. When she was rescued and returned to her husband in 2005, her husband noted how timid she was and how she would ask him permission for everything--using the bathroom, eating or drinking, even leaving the room.
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[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* In Music/SavageGarden's song "The Lover After Me":
-->''So this is my new freedom/It's funny, I don't remember being chained''\\
''And nothing seems to make sense anymore/Without you, I'm always twenty minutes late''
* In Music/SavageGarden's song "The Lover After Me":
-->''So this is my new freedom/It's funny, I don't remember being chained''\\
''And nothing seems to make sense anymore/Without you, I'm always twenty minutes late''
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* In ''Fanfic/FreedomsLimits'', the slaves freed from Mordor following the destruction of the One Ring have known nothing but slavery [[BornIntoSlavery all their lives]], sometimes over multiple generations. As a result, they don’t even understand what it ''means'' to be 'free' and wonder if [[TheGoodKing Aragorn]] is supposed to be their new master. The same goes for the orcs, who were also slaves under Sauron. [[TheProtagonist Madavi]] and several other former slaves end up going to work as farmhands and servants because they have nowhere else to go and know no other life than serving people; Madavi slowly begins to grasp what freedom means but she still can't quite figure out where the boundaries of freedom are drawn and why (hence the title of the fic) and comes off as very [[ExtremeDoormat submissive to others]] at times. The orcs aren't so lucky; Men are not willing to forgive them for the atrocities of the War of the Ring, resulting in orcs turning to [[RapePillageAndBurn raiding]] human settlements to survive because they know nothing else.
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[[AC:WebVideo]]
* ''Series/TheCryOfMann'': Jouglat preferred the warr, and openly regretted even coming back home; he found it too quiet and hated not having anything to do, and eventually decided to just pack his bags and leave again.
* ''Series/TheCryOfMann'': Jouglat preferred the warr, and openly regretted even coming back home; he found it too quiet and hated not having anything to do, and eventually decided to just pack his bags and leave again.
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* This happen on the series finale of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. After Superman finally defeats Darkseid, he leaves him at the mercy of the slaves he ruled over. However, they instead help Darkseid, showing they were too broken and only knew of being ruled by Darkseid.
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* This happen on the series finale of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. After Superman finally defeats Darkseid, he leaves him at the mercy of the slaves he ruled over. However, Instead, they instead help Darkseid, showing they were too broken and only knew of being ruled by Darkseid.
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* In ''Manga/KimetsuNoYaiba'', Kanao was sold as a slave from a very young age, which turned her into an EmotionlessGirl who will not do anything unless told to. Even after she was freed and became a hunter, if she received no orders, she would rely on a coin toss to decide her actions. It took [[AllLovingHero Tanjirou's]] intervention for her heart to start opening up again.
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* In ''Manga/KimetsuNoYaiba'', ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Kanao was sold as a slave from a very young age, which turned her into an EmotionlessGirl who will not do anything unless told to. Even after she was freed and became a hunter, if she received no orders, she would rely on a coin toss to decide her actions. It took [[AllLovingHero Tanjirou's]] intervention for her heart to start opening up again.
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* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18335207/chapters/44753878 The First Flame Alchemist]]'', after Mustang's time in Ishval is over [[spoiler: and after he spent most of his childhood as a tortured lab experiment to create the perfect soldier]], he doesn't adjust well to a life with a desk job. One time when Hughes didn't take him home in the evening, Mustang sat on some steps all night, waiting for orders.
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* In ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', [[spoiler:[[OldConvict Brooks]] hangs himself bcause he can no longer cope with freedom after 50 years in prison]].
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* In ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', [[spoiler:[[OldConvict Brooks]] hangs himself bcause because he can no longer cope with freedom after 50 years in prison]].
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Related to FreedomFromChoice, HappinessInSlavery, HopeIsScary, {{Manchild}}, QuicksandBox, TheresNoPlaceLikeHome. Can be a consequence of StockholmSyndrome.
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Related to FreedomFromChoice, HappinessInSlavery, HopeIsScary, {{Manchild}}, QuicksandBox, TheresNoPlaceLikeHome.TheresNoPlaceLikeHome, JustGotOutOfJail. Can be a consequence of StockholmSyndrome.
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* ''Manga/OnePiece'' invokes the trope via flashbacks. For three years after Koala's liberation back when she was a child, she retained a fake smile at all times, as slaves who cried were immediately killed. Even when Fisher Tiger broke that facade down and Koala spent a genuinely happy couple of days with the Sun Pirates, she'd relapse into her slave behavior every now and then; something Aladine, a former slave himself, could relate to. The story doesn't elaborate further, but it implies that it took Koala some more time to fully recover, though she became a genuine PerpetualSmiler by the time she returns in the present.
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* In ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', [[spoiler:[[OldConvict Brooks]] hangs himself bcause he is not anymore used to be free after 50 years in prison]].
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* In ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', [[spoiler:[[OldConvict Brooks]] hangs himself bcause he is not anymore used to be free can no longer cope with freedom after 50 years in prison]].
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* In Film/DeathRace, Coach did not want to leave the prison isle, not because used to be free but he doesn't have any places to go.
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* In Film/DeathRace, ''Film/DeathRace'', Coach did not want to leave the prison isle, not because used to be free but he doesn't have any places to go.
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* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: One episode has Bart stuck in a giant hamster ball for a while. After he's released from it, he becomes agoraphobic.
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* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': One episode has Bart stuck in a giant hamster ball for a while. After he's released from it, he becomes agoraphobic.
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->''Believe what you want. These walls are funny. First, you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them.''
-->--'''Red''', ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''
Someone has been held for a long time in a place, or has been a member of an institution where their freedoms have been very much limited, such as a prison or a mental hospital, and has either difficulties in fitting in outside, or wants to remain in or return to their former place of confinement. Some wild animals too much used to be cared for by humans might also become unable to function in nature.
The OldSoldier and TheOldConvict can suffer from it, as can a SlaveRace, a ServantRace, or a CultDefector.
Related to FreedomFromChoice, HappinessInSlavery, HopeIsScary, {{Manchild}}, QuicksandBox, TheresNoPlaceLikeHome. Can be a consequence of StockholmSyndrome.
See more on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_syndrome here]].
----
!! Examples:
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''Manga/KemonoJihen'', Kabane was used by his EvilAunt as free labor and constantly made to do tasks, rather than do things like go to school or hang out with others his age. By the time he's thirteen ([[NeverHadABirthdayParty he thinks]]), he's so unused to the idea of having his own free time that he stares at a wall and waits for instructions when there's nothing to do at Inugami's office.
* In ''Manga/KimetsuNoYaiba'', Kanao was sold as a slave from a very young age, which turned her into an EmotionlessGirl who will not do anything unless told to. Even after she was freed and became a hunter, if she received no orders, she would rely on a coin toss to decide her actions. It took [[AllLovingHero Tanjirou's]] intervention for her heart to start opening up again.
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* In the ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "The Tarnished Angel", Steeljack agrees to investigate the deaths of small-time criminals simply because, as a recent parolee, he's got way too much time on his hands and can't think of any other way to fill it.
* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'': PlayedForDrama. At some point during the other heroes' retirement, Orion finally defeated and killed his monstrous father. However, when he attempted to free the enslaved population of Apokolips, the people long since broken by Darkseid's tyranny couldn't handle the concept. As such, they forced Orion to become their new dictator, and overall nothing has changed. The experience has effectively broken Orion, who refuses to help Superman and wonders if all sons are doomed to become their fathers.
[[AC:{{Fanfic}}]]
* In the Fairy Tail fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Singularity}}'', after being locked up in a lab for eight years, Lucy isn't use to the new freedom she now has aboard the ship she has been hidden away on. Only some coaxing from Natsu and Erza gets her to leave her room, even then she is rather timid.
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', [[spoiler:[[OldConvict Brooks]] hangs himself bcause he is not anymore used to be free after 50 years in prison]].
*In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', Marty's uncle "Jailbird Joey" is more comfortable as a toddler confined in his playpen; Marty tells him "better get used to these bars".
* In Film/DeathRace, Coach did not want to leave the prison isle, not because used to be free but he doesn't have any places to go.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In ''Literature/EastOfEden'', Adam Walsh speaks about his experience in the military, saying he grumbled during service but that, when his time came to the end, he reenlisted for a further four years.
*A big part of the Arkady Renko books ''Red Square'' and ''Wolves Eat Dogs'' is dealing with the relative anarchy and lawlessness of Yeltsin-era Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In the ''Series/ProvenInnocent'' episode "The Struggle for Stonewall", client-of-the-week Cindy initially declines to Madeline's offer to re-open her case, as she has no idea what she would do if she were free.
* Discussed in an episode of ''Series/BurnNotice'' where Michael poses as an ex-con. Part of his act is constantly asking his prospective boss for permission to do things, as ex-cons have gotten used to not having liberties.
[[AC:VideoGame]]
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': The qunari are a culture that puts heavy emphasis on everything in society fulfilling a purpose to its utmost. People born, trained or converted into this philosophy have absolutely no freedom or say in the matter. People who defect from the Qun are called Tal-Vashoth and are considered dangerous animals. This is mostly because their previous lives were so rigid that they [[CripplingOverspecialization never developed skills in any area other than the one they were assigned]]; an ex-qunari soldier knows how to fight ''[[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining and nothing else]]''.
[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'', Blu the parrot is let out of his cage. He greatly misses the cage and doesn't know how to stay safe.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', Rango the lizard lives in a box but then is forced to live in the desert. He has trouble both fitting in and [[NotHyperbole surviving]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: One episode has Bart stuck in a giant hamster ball for a while. After he's released from it, he becomes agoraphobic.
* ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'': Whenever Marlene, who was born in captivity, steps one foot outside the zoo walls she becomes a feral, mindless snarling beast that's incapable of reason.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Master Yao has been sealed inside a wooden box for over sixty years, and is extremely energetic and excited about the outside world when let out for the first time.
* This happen on the series finale of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. After Superman finally defeats Darkseid, he leaves him at the mercy of the slaves he ruled over. However, they instead help Darkseid, showing they were too broken and only knew of being ruled by Darkseid.
[[AC:RealLife]]
* There's plenty of cases of former prisoners committing crimes to return to prison, such as [[https://www.thespec.com/news-story/4425874-choosing-prison-why-life-behind-bars-seems-better-than-freedom/ here]] and [[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/convict-held-up-bank-so-he-could-taste-jail-food-again-wksc757z9 here]].
* Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was famously kidnapped and held hostage for eighteen years, wrote in her memoir about her captivity that upon escaping from her captors she had to get used to be able to make her own decisions and work on being more assertive.
* This can happen as the result of a ShooTheDog scenario with an animal that is normally wild. Indeed, this is the reason why forest rangers often ban feeding wild animals.
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-->--'''Red''', ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''
Someone has been held for a long time in a place, or has been a member of an institution where their freedoms have been very much limited, such as a prison or a mental hospital, and has either difficulties in fitting in outside, or wants to remain in or return to their former place of confinement. Some wild animals too much used to be cared for by humans might also become unable to function in nature.
The OldSoldier and TheOldConvict can suffer from it, as can a SlaveRace, a ServantRace, or a CultDefector.
Related to FreedomFromChoice, HappinessInSlavery, HopeIsScary, {{Manchild}}, QuicksandBox, TheresNoPlaceLikeHome. Can be a consequence of StockholmSyndrome.
See more on Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_syndrome here]].
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!! Examples:
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''Manga/KemonoJihen'', Kabane was used by his EvilAunt as free labor and constantly made to do tasks, rather than do things like go to school or hang out with others his age. By the time he's thirteen ([[NeverHadABirthdayParty he thinks]]), he's so unused to the idea of having his own free time that he stares at a wall and waits for instructions when there's nothing to do at Inugami's office.
* In ''Manga/KimetsuNoYaiba'', Kanao was sold as a slave from a very young age, which turned her into an EmotionlessGirl who will not do anything unless told to. Even after she was freed and became a hunter, if she received no orders, she would rely on a coin toss to decide her actions. It took [[AllLovingHero Tanjirou's]] intervention for her heart to start opening up again.
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* In the ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "The Tarnished Angel", Steeljack agrees to investigate the deaths of small-time criminals simply because, as a recent parolee, he's got way too much time on his hands and can't think of any other way to fill it.
* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'': PlayedForDrama. At some point during the other heroes' retirement, Orion finally defeated and killed his monstrous father. However, when he attempted to free the enslaved population of Apokolips, the people long since broken by Darkseid's tyranny couldn't handle the concept. As such, they forced Orion to become their new dictator, and overall nothing has changed. The experience has effectively broken Orion, who refuses to help Superman and wonders if all sons are doomed to become their fathers.
[[AC:{{Fanfic}}]]
* In the Fairy Tail fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Singularity}}'', after being locked up in a lab for eight years, Lucy isn't use to the new freedom she now has aboard the ship she has been hidden away on. Only some coaxing from Natsu and Erza gets her to leave her room, even then she is rather timid.
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', [[spoiler:[[OldConvict Brooks]] hangs himself bcause he is not anymore used to be free after 50 years in prison]].
*In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', Marty's uncle "Jailbird Joey" is more comfortable as a toddler confined in his playpen; Marty tells him "better get used to these bars".
* In Film/DeathRace, Coach did not want to leave the prison isle, not because used to be free but he doesn't have any places to go.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In ''Literature/EastOfEden'', Adam Walsh speaks about his experience in the military, saying he grumbled during service but that, when his time came to the end, he reenlisted for a further four years.
*A big part of the Arkady Renko books ''Red Square'' and ''Wolves Eat Dogs'' is dealing with the relative anarchy and lawlessness of Yeltsin-era Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In the ''Series/ProvenInnocent'' episode "The Struggle for Stonewall", client-of-the-week Cindy initially declines to Madeline's offer to re-open her case, as she has no idea what she would do if she were free.
* Discussed in an episode of ''Series/BurnNotice'' where Michael poses as an ex-con. Part of his act is constantly asking his prospective boss for permission to do things, as ex-cons have gotten used to not having liberties.
[[AC:VideoGame]]
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': The qunari are a culture that puts heavy emphasis on everything in society fulfilling a purpose to its utmost. People born, trained or converted into this philosophy have absolutely no freedom or say in the matter. People who defect from the Qun are called Tal-Vashoth and are considered dangerous animals. This is mostly because their previous lives were so rigid that they [[CripplingOverspecialization never developed skills in any area other than the one they were assigned]]; an ex-qunari soldier knows how to fight ''[[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining and nothing else]]''.
[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'', Blu the parrot is let out of his cage. He greatly misses the cage and doesn't know how to stay safe.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', Rango the lizard lives in a box but then is forced to live in the desert. He has trouble both fitting in and [[NotHyperbole surviving]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Frog Wild", Lincoln and his sister Lana set some frogs free, but then realize that they don't know how to defend themselves against predators because they were bred in captivity.
* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: One episode has Bart stuck in a giant hamster ball for a while. After he's released from it, he becomes agoraphobic.
* ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'': Whenever Marlene, who was born in captivity, steps one foot outside the zoo walls she becomes a feral, mindless snarling beast that's incapable of reason.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Master Yao has been sealed inside a wooden box for over sixty years, and is extremely energetic and excited about the outside world when let out for the first time.
* This happen on the series finale of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. After Superman finally defeats Darkseid, he leaves him at the mercy of the slaves he ruled over. However, they instead help Darkseid, showing they were too broken and only knew of being ruled by Darkseid.
[[AC:RealLife]]
* There's plenty of cases of former prisoners committing crimes to return to prison, such as [[https://www.thespec.com/news-story/4425874-choosing-prison-why-life-behind-bars-seems-better-than-freedom/ here]] and [[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/convict-held-up-bank-so-he-could-taste-jail-food-again-wksc757z9 here]].
* Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was famously kidnapped and held hostage for eighteen years, wrote in her memoir about her captivity that upon escaping from her captors she had to get used to be able to make her own decisions and work on being more assertive.
* This can happen as the result of a ShooTheDog scenario with an animal that is normally wild. Indeed, this is the reason why forest rangers often ban feeding wild animals.
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