The real wisdom here isn't that hitting bottom is *bad*—everyone knows that much. Rather, Rowling suggests that catastrophe has a peculiar gift: it removes all the false floors we've been standing on, all the compromises and half-measures we mistook for stability. A person who loses their job, their savings, their certainty can finally build without propping up the old structure. That's why someone starting over after bankruptcy often makes sounder financial decisions than someone who merely *worried* about money while keeping their job.