Thanks for the link to Bottley's autobiographical sketch. It is indeed solemn, as well as highly revealing. I'm not surprised so many would-be scientists succumb to perverse incentives along the way. They need to eat and have shelter. In a political economy like that, any actual merit is easily buried or sidelined, and the mutton will despise anyone who maintains ethical standards. It's an unpleasant reminder of the squalor they chose.