Was it worth it? To lose part of who he had been in order to live free? Perhaps this new self was better than… — Orson Scott Card

Last night Alvin just got mad, which she said would only guarantee that he'd stay stupid.

You can't change what you don't understand.

In a way, he lost some of himself, some of his knack, and therefore some of the choices he might have had in life. But in losing those, he gained so much more freedom, so much more power, that he was clear winner in the bargain.