The author used Alice to accelerate what could have been a story arc: he explained why the "numbers" were capable of acting the way they do today.
Jin/001 was adopted by part of the team and, with the same innocence and respect, treated those who treated him well so he could survive the camp. Mad Dog had a lot of madness in mind, but little understanding of youth—young people band together to protect themselves.
Jin wasn't exactly a leader "by chance," but rather because, above all, he was tolerant of certain conditions, while also reactive when necessary. And not just reactive or violent, as Alice so aptly put it, 001's secret was precisely not being a maniac. Stoic perhaps, but not overly cynical.
Now waiting for the final arcs (I HOPE).