Consider the magnitude change his character had undergo after he left mom&#x27;s basement in New York.<p>Kerouac himself was smart-enough to realize the dynamic and illusory nature of what we call &quot;myself&quot; (it was one of his main themes - unfolding of Cody and himself and of everything else) and that his alcoholism was the cause of his suffering.<p>Why he didn&#x27;t choose to fight it is another question. Perhaps, it was too late.