I saw a tiny bit when i was 18 and had found myself working for Elite, the modeling agency. I came into a sizable amount of money very quickly, and this changed my social circles. The level of greed I witnessed was very disturbing, then i also began meeting the mega millionaires, the mafia, etc. I could see pretty clearly that I didn't want that life, because I saw what it did to people. They stopped seeing poverty as having anything to do with themselves, and their worries reflected a vapidness that I found distasteful.
I left that world and many others, but like you, i didn't feel trapped. I knew i could leave it. I've left many other worlds behind too.....but i did find myself poor only a few years ago, and that phase almost did me in. I will never forget poverty. It was my greatest lesson.