People cope with intense pain in different ways. Some withdraw, shutting down their emotions entirely, while others lash out, driven by anger even when the situation is beyond their control.
Some succumb to the pain, letting it consume them, while others harness it as a motivator to push themselves to improve.
Leo had a unique way of coping with pain— which was to channel it into absolute focus.
Ordinarily, Leo was a carefree, easy going person, who was rarely serious about meeting deadlines unless it was absolutely necessary. However, Ben's death marked a turning point in his life.
Initially, Leo trained hard under Ben's guidance because it was his only viable path to survival. He knew that, given the limitations of the Actor class, he couldn't convincingly play the role of a bigshot without having the strength to back it up.