They want cash, real estate or cars. They want material gain for the leadership. They want to manipulate the relationships of people. Because of this manipulation, it's tough for many people to leave - even if they want to, Trimyer said. Over time, people can get fused to a cult.
Some groups shun members who leave.
Even family members who remain are told to have nothing to do with that person. A person could be scarred for life. Even when people leave a cult, they carry the baggage of what that organization did to them. Mather said it can take years of counseling to repair this damage. In the case of what happened in California, there's the paranoia that the world is their enemy.