He had a home, a family, and intentionally made himself homeless. Yes, he had a demanding job, and yes he struggled emotionally, experiencing dependency and alcohol abuse, but we really can't forget what his actions did to his wife and children, and his struggles do not diminish this.
Sorry, but this manga, although a hard read based on a life story really annoyed me. He was never really shown to care for his wife, putting her through all that turmoil, and she was basically voiceless, but expected to be the backbone, his assistant, home keeper, wife and mother when he failed his own duties. So many people in developed countries are without homes, children included, and not in any way through choice, so many people are struggling, reliant on charity to meet basic needs such as food, and yet this manga shows a man choose to live rough, choose to go through trash to eat, choose to make his wife think her husband is dead and their kids grow up without a father. As said, he was stressed out and wanted to escape life, but this is no way justifies what he was shown to do to his family, who stood by him, and aided his recovery
Have only just read the interview, and wow, how selfish and cruel is this author? If he was single, with no kids, okay.. go discover yourself, but he literally abandoned his wife and children, and the wife was expecting he would be identified as dead. How did she financially support herself and children, did he care about their wellbeing, seeing his kids grow???!!!!