Shadows of reality

People who only know a shadow of reality can't comprehend/ won't accept reality. Even once exposed to its true features they can't understand.  An example would be  prisoners who are chained facing the wall. They can only see the shadows that are cast on the wall. This is the only reality they understand. They can't understand reality when they only see shadows. Even if the prisoner is set free and is able to see the world for what it truly is, he is scared and goes back to the wall; the world he knows/ can understand. It's like trying to teach a 1st grader algebra. He doesnt understand; he only can comprehend basic math.