True, but there are usually deep seated reasons as to WHY one person is more vulnerable to the control than another. I agree with brummie that there is a large amount of manipulation involved - find out what makes a person tick and you find a way to control the person and get them to buy what you are selling. I think the sell is a bit harder when it involves being raised as a witness. If those same fears and vulnerabilities are not passed on or inculcated, then the children have a greater chance of seeing through it all and leaving. But it is still difficult, even when you recognize it all for what it is, to break free.
For instance: I attribute my parents vulnerability to their childhoods, and the search for something secure for their future because of the chaos they both lived with. They just wanted a better life for their children and didn't realize that by recognizing what they wanted that they were already equipped to make that better more stable life a reality without the help of witnesses. But they were found at a particularly vulnerable time, and coupled with all the other experiences in their lives to that point, they fell for it, and it has allowed them to hide from painful reality for nearly 30 years. They still have not faced any of their inner demons because it is easier to wait on Jehovah to fix it all later rather than travel the often painful road to self-discovery. And that I beleive is what most people are hiding from - the pain and strength it takes to confront your issues and deal with them in a proactive manner.
However, since my siblings and I did not have the same factors in our childhoods, we all recognized something was not right and left in our early 20's. I do not blame my parents for trying to do what they thought was right and best for their children. Isn't that what most parents do? I do hope that one day before their lives are over that they realize it for what it is and can enjoy their last years free of it all, But that is also their choice, just as it was ours to choose to leave and their choice is not mine to make any more than my choice as an adult to leave was theirs. We are fortunate that despite our departures, we continue to have a relatively close relationship with our parents and they do not shun us for our choices. But I know that is rare in the dub world and I do not take it for granted.