Although it occurs to me that there may have been other stuff going on. My FIL never learned to drive, even though MIL's life would have been much easier if he had. He still can't drive. It's anxiety related. He's not self-righteous about his car-free lifestyle, however -- he's a little defensive, since it's wildly impractical in his current situation. (MIL has now died, and he lives in a spread-out suburb with no public transportation at all.)