Ciara's Response to Gabe

First off, Gabe, you remind me of Sal.  I tell you this all the time but its true. 

Anywho, I agree that Dean has definitely grown up, and that his ideas have changed, but I am not so sure if I would call a maniacal lunatic “mature”.  If he has matured, he has matured into a frenzied mess whose life is even more messed up than it was before.  Though I understand what you are saying about Dean enjoying his life, I am not so sure how he would respond to the question, “Are you happy?”  I feel like he just keeps moving so he does not have enough time to sit down and realize that his life has no purpose, and that he is ultimately headed nowhere.  He has a wife and a kid he cannot support, no job, no money, and no future. 

I agree with you when you say that Sal leaves with Dean because he has not been fulfilled yet.  If Sal really was content with moving forward with his book and spending time with his family, he never would have went back on the road again.  He is looking for something else; he may not know what this something else is, but he still believes he can find it on the road with Dean.