Huck's life on the raft vs. on land

Huck grew up with a drunken father, an orderly Miss. Watson, and the Widow. They were always there to tell him what he should do in many situations. He grew up to be a very self-sufficient boy, and developed to work his way out of any situation alone. Now Huck finds himself on a raft. Yes, he's not alone--he has Jim from the start and later the King and the Duke join them. They don't take charge. Jim looks to Huck for guidance. The King and the Duke are along for the ride, for entertainment and to entertain. They joined because Huck and Jim fell for their stories and they were invited to join them in their travels. Huck enjoys life on the raft better than his previous habitats. Huck is a self-sufficient person and can use his ability by planning and protecting himself, Jim and sometimes also the Duke and the King. Huck and all of them aren't as confined out in the open. They have one force pushing themselves, that of survival. Besides the obvious natural differences of life on a raft versus that of land—they don’t have pressure from outsiders, or from family members. They just have each other, and they’ll get by.