~Snip
I will acknowledge that if a mentor really is helpful to an individual reaching their success. We cannot take out their credit for that.
If they did, then so they did. We learn from ourselves but our thoughts are limited so if it is accompanied by another guy whom is the mentor and has got a lot of helpful thoughts and suggestions.
That will contribute to someone's success and we have to appreciate them that for doing it.
When you have a mentor who freely guides you towards success, I think you owe him a lot. If you pay that mentor for all the time and knowledge they share in your success journey, then you don't owe them anything. Even if a free mentor doesn't demand anything from you, I think you need to return the favor in an appropriate way. Not everything has to be money, but something else has to be worked for.
Having a guide or mentor is good, but someone can also achieve success without a mentor. You can learn autodidactically and increase your knowledge by discussing more often in the right space, this is as good as having a mentor, I think.