I have heard that people even in cloistered communities such as Meah Shearim or New Square go off. As thinking beings, individuals may decide this is not for them, and presto, they’re gone. Nothing new about that. But let’s look at how our frum society operates. Highest value is placed on learning, but what if you’re not good at it or not interested in it? Suddenly that places you a rung or more below others. Or say you grow up in a very chumaradik home, and you feel suffocated. Or maybe people view the hypocrisy of frum people who act and dress frum and then act dishonestly in business. People going off the derech come from all sorts of backgrounds, and have all sorts of reasons, and only by discussing it with the person going off can you get a sense of why they choose that path and see if concerns can be addressed that will bring the back.
