i agree with you for the most part, Greeny, but i nevertheless find it revolting and can't go along At All with the idea that she is exploited. she really isn't, she's laughing all the way to the bank.
my take on it, like yours, is that she is probably quite child-like in her thought processes so being in trouble will cause her to wish to get out of trouble and she'll do whatever and exploit whatever to do so.
it's like poor working class people becoming prize fighters, you might lose your brains but it's worth it for the money. she's lost what few ethics she had, but her lifestyle now is something she'd never have had as a dental assistant in London.
she's made her pact and she's happy with it, and i find it disgusting. but compellingly disgusting, i admit.