To maintain his freedom and write his poems, Chou has made do with solitude, missing out on family, romance, and friends. As his fellow poet Yu Kwang-chung put it: "No matter what page you turn to in Lonely Land or Goddess Incarnate, what you read is always lonely."
為了自由，為了寫詩，在人生際遇中他錯失了親情、愛情及友情，他被迫甘於寂寞，就像詩壇知友余光中說的：「無論把《孤獨國》或《還魂草》翻到第幾頁，讀到的永遠是寂寞。」