as others have pointed out, you are making an implicit assumption that it is the man's duty to "correct himself" and then return to being a husband and father.

as others have pointed out, you are making an implicit assumption that it is the man's duty to "correct himself" and then return to being a husband and father. this is not what zen is about. the man was incapable of being a good husband and father before he met Gudo. he could not accept that life-style and so he turned to drink and gambling to avoid it. after he met Gudo he became aware of his failings and his destructive behavior. he changed his ways. he did not fulfill what you perceive his duty to be. does that mean he did the wrong thing? did his family suffer more with him present (and drunk and broke) or absent? if he had returned to his family would he have been able to remain sober and dutiful? can any of us claim to know the likely outcomes of what didn't happen to another person?