I can think of a few people in my class & year who might just have acquiesced because THEY’D been conditioned the way you were. There were still people acting and thinking in that manner right through the VIth form, too.
Depends also when you were 16, too. I rather suspect, even up to the mid-70’s, there was still a residual rather than vestigial respect for authority generally.
It is actually surprising how easily the whole system ran once upon a time and not many people queried it. Comme Il Faut? When in Rome?
I don’t recall at MGS very much raging against the machine being noticeable until 1967/8 year(when I was 16). I’d also have to ask myself how much that was down to the system or the damn Headmaster himself!
As regards the other bloke-there’s always one who can talk a good talk, but lets someone else try walking the good walk!