Pierre's Future

It's interesting how Pierre's character has been progressing and growing thus far in War and Peace. He went from being one of the most socially awkward and isolated characters in the book to one of the most liked. Interestingly enough, he hasn't really grown less awkward, instead society has just begun to notice how selfless and kind he is. He's constantly giving money to people, supporting different groups in society, and generally giving away all he has for the betterment of the community. You'd think that someone able to be this giving would be pretty happy with themselves and their situation in life, but Pierre isn't. Despite the fact that he's is being well received by everyone, a vast improvement from the way he was treated at the beginning of the book, we also see him spiral into alcoholism, extreme sexual frustration made evident by the abusive way he talks about his wife, and (denied) jealousy of Andrew's engagement to Natasha. Yet all of these things are masked by the way he is constantly trying to help others out. It's as if he's trying to shed the money and status he inherited from his father in order to go back to a time in his life when things were simpler and he was happier. His dependency on wine is especially upsetting and doesn't bode well for his future in the novel. Drinking is obviously one way he's coping with his problems with his wife and his feelings for Natasha, but I think the same can be said for his generosity. If not checked, he could lose a lot over time and be taken advantaged of. Hopefully Pierre will be able to rein these two habits in before anything gets out of control. So far though, I'd say his future isn't looking too bright and he'll probably need to make a big lifestyle change before he can find happiness.