I think that especially in this case, it's just as likely 40 years of being actively invested into the world as it is. This guy was not rich but he owned his own house and car and boat and stuff, and had raised a family stably enough without obstacles or disasters in life.

To accept the proposition of surplus value theft is to come to terms with the idea that someone has taken advantage of you for a very long time. It's cognitively easier to tell yourself that there's nothing wrong with what happened before and the world is fine as it is and the people at the top either deserve it or have no meaningful alternative to their ruling position.