Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1. The Allegory of the Cave represents knowledge, and how the majority of people, like the inhabitants of the cave, think they are knowledgeable, but in reality aren't. They are under the illusion that they are knowledgeable. And they will continue to live under that illusion unless they free themselves from their ignorance. As Johnson C. said "All truth goes through three steps: First it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." Only until the people realize that their ascribing of words to shadows is wrong will they reach divination.
2. The key elements are the entire cave and its descriptions. For example, painting the prisoners in shackles who are unable to turn their heads reinforces the mindset that Plato is trying to teach Glaucon. That the people themselves aren't stupid. It's just that they wrongly prescribe a word to a shadow when they actually are referring to the "idea" of the shadow. That when someone mentions a "book", they are talking about the physical "shadow" of the book. However, a philosopher, when he mentions a "book", is talking about what causes the book, the idea behind the book, as opposed to the physical object at hand. This is shown through the usage of shadows. The prisoners attribute the shadows to the real thing because they don't know any better. However, those that turn their head eventually figure it out. That the shadow isn't reality as believed before. It's what causes the shadows that matters. Unless you turn your head, you will be in a sea of ignorance.
3. That it's difficult. It's very difficult. Simply put, everything you once knew, gone. Just like that. You have to forget everything you taught yourself. You're going to have to acknowledge you were wrong the whole time. Not many people can. And you, and you alone, are going to have to bring about that change. You are going to have to turn your head (and suffer the pain and consequences) if you wish to unshackle yourself from ignorance. However, the reward is great. Now, you are no longer ignorant. Now, you are strong. Now, you are enlightened.
4. That the cave dwellers are in their small hole of ignorance. That these dwellers, by the means of shackles, cannot see what is the cause of the shadows. As such, they attribute the shadows for reality. They do not focus on the "how" and "why" but only on the physical objects themselves.
5. The focus on wealth and fame as a measure of success. The attempt to accrue and cram as much information as possible without focusing on its importance and relevance. The shortsightedness of most people, such as investors in Wall Street. Politics in the U.S. The concept of school and forcing students into a "standardized environment." The attempt to censor information, whether in the Internet, books, etc.
6. The freed prisoner is enlightened. He is ecstatic. He has information that others do not. He knows things others do not. He can see things others cannot. He can hear things others can't. Above all else, he can comprehend things others cannot. The prisoners, however, can't say the same. They are still ignorant. They cannot comprehend what they cannot see. They are short-sighted.
7. One way is simply through communication. It is hard to explain new information to people without them either getting confused. DICE tried that with Frostbite 2. They explained that most gamers simply wouldn't understand the complexity of said engine, and so wouldn't release any mod and dev kits. There was a huge uproar because, let's be honest, who wants to be called stupid? However, people who used the engine acknowledged that it was indeed difficult. Which leads to my second point. Ignorance. People hate being proven wrong. So what do they do? Simply ignore the information at hand. Pretend it doesn't exist, or believe the other is wrong.
8. There are two ways to free oneself: Either one goes through the pain and suffering to turn their head and removing the shackles, and succeeds, or one listens to the said freed prisoner and is assisted in removing the collar. Either one requires sheer will and determination on the end user though. Simply put, YOU, and only YOU, are the determinate of your own success.
9. I would agree that reality and appearances are different. Look no further than here or here as examples. What we perceive as reality could very well be a figment of our imagination. People see what they want to see, so appearances will be different compared to reality. But above all else, we have no proof that this is reality. This could all be some complex simulation, and we'd have no way of knowing.
10. If Socrates is wrong, then I have two things:
Reality is appearances. There are no differences whatsoever. Those that claim otherwise are liars who want to seem smarter than they are. Or...

IT'S ALL A DREAM! DUN-DUN-DUN.