A Greek myth can help us understand the freedom that comes with power of choice.
In the Underworld, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a large stone up a hill from which it always rolled down again. Realistically, he was trapped in an endless cycle of rolling the stone. When he perceived himself to be imprisoned by the curse, he was a victim.
At one point, however, he turned the tables -- he changed his mind and decided to CHOOSE to roll the stone up the hill. In doing so, he empowered himself and defused the curse.
"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you."-- Jean-Paul Sartre
"One cannot make a slave of a free person, for a free person is free even in a prison."-- Plato