I think this is about not taking the "traditional" paths in life simply for selfish reasons. When the narrator talks about his family situation, it sounds like:
His father had regrets about having children and kind of took it out on him
He stole from his mother as she was dying because it came across to him like a waste of money if she wasn't using it
He got married and had kids but resented them because of what the whole process did to his wife's body
The narrator does not just want to take the traditional route and fade away, he resists the traditional route and thinks he is brave because of it.
I think this is about not taking the "traditional" paths in life simply for selfish reasons. When the narrator talks about his family situation, it sounds like:
The narrator does not just want to take the traditional route and fade away, he resists the traditional route and thinks he is brave because of it.