Not really clear on what Albert’s condition is, but is anyone? Including the very psychiatrist who tended to him? “The Man Who Walked Away” reminds me of the scene from “Forrest Gump” when he just starts running all across the United States “just because he felt like it”. It’s as if that entire scene was made into a novel. I notice after having seen “Forrest Gump” numerous times throughout my life that his condition is never clarified either. Could there be a connection here?
It is interesting that you bring up Forest Gump. I remember watching that movie many times as a kid, but never picking up on the fact that he may be neuroatypical. Now that I think back on it, I can see how he could be viewed as neuroatypical. Maybe sometimes writers don’t explicitly say something is “wrong” with their characters to make the viewer rethink their idea of what “normal” is.