Another thing you are perhaps missing is how dividends might affect the value of a company.

For example, when the company pays money out as a dividend, this releases value to shareholders. This is because money is taken out of the business and given to shareholders. The business is now worth a bit less because the money has been taken out and given to shareholders.

However, if the company decides not to pay a dividend out, the value is retained within the company itself, and this is usually reflected in the share price (i.e. the share price goes up because the company is more valuable than it was previously, due to growth and making profits). As an investor, you could still access this growth if you wanted to by selling your shares on the free market and getting money for them. Or, you might think it's better to hold on to the shares because hopefully the company will deploy the money (that it would otherwise have paid out on dividends) to grow the company even more.