Indeed! Too many groups use psychological pressure trying to prevent any member leaving the group. But I'd guess a group is stronger, if the members are there because they have freely chosen to do so =) And sometimes it is so healthy to see other cultural settings, before deciding which way to lead in ones own life.

Well, of course I'm a bit over-simplifying when describing the general atmosphere of the village where I grew up. First, it must be said that of course people there wanted to see everyone improving and doing better - it was just that there was a somewhat conservative and unquestioned framework defining what "better" and "improvement" are - and what they aren't:

Working hard at the factory : good
Studying to become a part of the white-collar management : good
Music and art : suspicious, it might make a good hobby, but don't let it ruin your real career.
Philosophy : a sure path to the madhouse! Cut your hair and get a real job!

Well, but I was interested in philosophy and arts, and I wanted to question the whole framework. That was a bit too much for most of the folks =)

Then, the other thing is that I was 2 years old when our family moved to the village. And my parents are from another cultural area, so we didn't have any roots in that area, no relatives living nearby. My parents didn't speak the dialect of the local people. Also, it was a small industrial community in the middle of countryside. There were working-class families where everyone went to work at the ironworks just like their grand-parents and great-grandparents did. And, I'd guess that in every traditional community formed around a factory there is this class-hierarchy. My father happened to be among the top management. So, in pretty many ways our family was always somewhat set apart from those families who had been living and working there for generations.