[ He's going to bite back the much meaner version of what he's about to say (thank you, therapy) and goes with something a little more conducive to conversation. ]

You survived because you were being manipulated and used by something more powerful than you. Something that taught you to keep alliances at a distance and didn't let you gather resources he didn't approve of because those would actually give you a chance to free yourself or fight him. And the moment that you couldn't be manipulated and used, when Cazador no longer wanted you to survive... what happened?