I'm certainly no expert, but I've known several folks who lives under Soviet rule, their families for many years. Heck, Dorota/dv8 could tell stories, I'm sure.
And then, suddenly, there was no one providing for them, telling them what to do. They said the transition from serfdom to being an individual in charge of their future was difficult. Some did it better than others. Some in capitalism do better than others.
Having someone else provide for you is certainly "easier". But having control of your own future gives on an opportunity to maximize their efforts and humanity.
In my life, things I got easily weren't worth much. Those things I earned are invaluable.
A sidenote/anecdote: In the early 90's, I knew a guy who got the (then) first Miller beer distributorship to Russia. He went and spent a ton of money getting it off the ground. Eventually he gave up. But not because the market didn't like Miller beer, because they did. It was because he had a major problem getting good labor, folks who wanted to work. Nobody did...at the post-collapse time. One thing he mentioned that struck me as quite odd: he said when he trained supervisors and managers, they just couldn't grasp the concept of efficiency, maximization of resources...and especially the concept of "profit".