You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense

What is the main conflict in You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense by Charles Bukowski?

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Chinaski is Charles Bukowski's alter ego, a misogynistic, crude poet with a cultish following. Chinaski's biography is identical to Bukowski's making him and the poet interchangeable in most respects. He is the narrator of the collection.

Chinaski grows up during the Depression and is known in his youth as a bullying jerk. He is not a man with an incredible amount of empathy, particularly toward women like his friend Mary Lou. By 17, he and his buddies are drinking and taking regular trips down to Mexico. Chinaski disappoints his father by moving away and becoming a writer, a profession that the father regards as useless.