Allegory of the Cave

"The Allegory of the Cave" tells us about people who are chained to the wall of a cave and they have nothing to look at but shadows on the wall. This is all that they know and have never been out of the cave. The main point of the Allegory of the Cave is to give an example of the way that we all live. That's why Socrates suggests that, without philosophical education, we are all like the prisoners in the cave. Philosophical knowledge help us to see and understand reality, to think deeper and not to believe that what we see in front of us is reality. Most people live in a world of relative ignorance. And we are even comfortable with that ignorance, because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the process may be frightening, and many people run back to their old lives. But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be able to handle it better.
I don't really know if Socrates is right or wrong being so pessimistic about life without philosophy. I can say for sure that philosophy was an essential part of his life.