You have to see what inside you is getting a pay-off from engaging with toxic people

That can be the case sometimes, but it is also possible to encounter toxic people in the family for example, in which it is not the person looking for this type of people without realizing it, but rather randomly encountering them.

If you do not want to be here, then slowly plot a course out.

Agree, as I said to @joanstewart above, cutting out contact is what most people should do when dealing with toxic individuals.