Being interested in history I remember well the writings of Frederick Jackson Turner and his themes of westward migration into the frontier. One of his major points centered around the idea of the West being a relief valve for undesirable characters to go to who did not fit well into law-abiding communities.
Another historian, Theodore H. White, states a similar theme, even though it's a different class of people he refers to. White's Jewish ancestors suffered in the ghettos of eastern Europe for generations and prayed to God for deliverance from their travails. As news of American opportunities reached them, they saw they might be able to save themselves by their own efforts. Therefore, many of them saw the relief valve and came here.
Today, lands are taken up and controlled by someone and a topographical frontier no longer exists. Unfit or dissatisfied people can't keep moving westward. We reached the western shoreline some time ago. Frontiers of space and the oceans exist, but they are reserved for the educated team players to explore. Misfits cannot move into these areas. They will just have to self-medicate, clog the social service systems, or inhabit the prisons.
