cassady was a restless person, and his wife got tired of him not giving their marriage the attention it needed. she left him, and returned to her family. cassady soon forgot about her, and started relationships with other women, and also with men. (he and luanne got back together later, but their reconciliation did not last.) before long, he decided he wanted to travel. cassady was an expert driver, and had no trouble driving cars at over 100 miles per hour, over long stretches of highway. kerouac left his mother behind, and joined cassady on many road trips, across the united states and even into mexico. when kerouac got sick in mexico city, cassady could not wait for him to get better, and left kerouac behind at a hospital. kerouac had to find his own way home, and was angry at cassady, while kerouac's mother thought it just proved her suspicions about him. cassady turned up later, asking kerouac's forgiveness, which he gave him. good or bad, kerouac's experiences with cassady were what he needed to finish a novel about cross-country travel, which he had wanted to write for years.