Final answer:
Thoreau finally realized the importance of living a simple and unencumbered life after being released from spending the night in jail. His experience influenced the concept of passive resistance and inspired figures like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Step-by-step explanation:
After being released from spending the night in jail, Thoreau finally realized the importance of living a simple and unencumbered life. He believed in doing and possessing only the essential things in life, as demonstrated by his experience living at Walden Pond. Thoreau's time spent in jail and his subsequent writings, such as 'Civil Disobedience,' influenced the concept of passive resistance and inspired figures like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.