Gus’s descent into loneliness took on a dramatically different form than Hubert's. Why do you think Gus found himself living like he did?

Gus's descent into loneliness took on a dramatically different form than Hubert's. While Hubert's home still provided him the comforts he needed, Gus's degraded and left him living in unhealthy conditions. Why do you think Gus found himself living like this?

I think Gus felt he had nothing to show for his life. I think he realized to late that he was selfish and used people

Gus had never committed himself to a relationship beyond his friendships. There was no one, not even a memory of a committed relationship, to maintain order in his life as time wore on. Patterns we learn during a marriage can help us keep going even if that person is no longer in our life.

Gus lived life for his own gratification with no desire for commitment to anything but his satisfaction. He had a string of relationships but would not commit to any of them for fear that he would lose his freedom and his own identity. When he realized that he was really alone, with no attachments, no friend, not even his old friend, Hubert, he turned to drinking more and more. He had no solution and little if any self-esteem.

I agree that Gus made some less-than-ideal choices in his lifetime, the most notable being not committing to a relationship with the woman he appeared to care about. Life is difficult if you have no connections to other people who will give you support and keep you honest when you’re going too far off track. By the time he realized this, he was all alone. Although it seemed to Hubert that his visits to Gus were useless, they were exactly what Gus needed at that point to help him start returning to his own life.

I think Gus realized he'd frivolously lived his life and missed having a special relationship and having his own family. Then Hubert shut him out following Joyce and Rose's deaths. Gus was wallowing in his "nothingness." He basically gave up on life. I was glad Hubert reached out to Gus and they rekindled their friendship.

Gus explained this himself very poignantly towards the end of the book. After his fall on the icy pavement and subsequent hospitalization, Gus realized that no one knew he was in the hospital and no one cared. He regretted not marrying Lois years before and been more like Hubert and Joyce. He felt he had been selfish never settling down and when he was released from hospital he was so depressed that he had all but given up on life. He stopped looking after himself, his home, pretty much everything and starting wishing that each day was his last.

Gus realized that through his choice to be free from commitments, he ended up alone . I think he just felt that there was no chance of him finding any happiness or support from others.

I think their descents into loneliness were not all that different when you think of Hubert's second bout, although Hubert did manage to feed himself. Perhaps it was the cat that made the difference!

I think Gus has been pretty lonely all his life. His family was in Jamaica and he never married, so Hubert was the only person he was really close to. When Hubert withdrew it seems like Gus didn't really have anyone else and sank into depression. (Seems like a bit of a cautionary tale, doesn't it??)

Gus did not want to commit to a family life in his younger days. As time went by, that just became his way of life which left him alone.

Loneliness is loneliness, how one deal’s with loneliness determines how one’s life will be led.