Timothy’s downfall came from him over obsession with bears and his desire to be a part of their world. In Grizzly Man, Herzog states that Timothy found comfort in the simplicity of the lives the bears led. They are in the wild solely to survive. Timothy found refuge in this lifestyle. In simply living to survive in Alaska, he was absent from the human world that caused him so much grief.
Timothy admits to his drinking problem in the footage. He states that he was killing himself until he found “the land of the bears” and that his addiction was so severe that he would “either die or break away from it.” He gives the bears credit for saving him because of their deal made. He promised to look after them if they would help him in return. In reality though, Timothy created his own rehab center in the wild and never ended the chase for his next high in life. In the wild he had no way of buying alcohol or drugs. He replaced his addiction to alcohol and drugs with an obsession to the bears. He no longer received his euphoria from the drugs but rather the adrenalin rush when only feet away from the bears. He simply substituted one danger with another.
Timothy also runs away from the chance of rejection and failure. In the wild there was no way he could fail. He had no real job. When Herzog interviews Val and Carol Dexter, Timothy’s father and mother, we are informed of Timothy loosing his college scholarship and then moving to California to pursue an acting career. After failing to secure a role on Cheers, Val said Timothy spiraled. By running away to live with the bears, Timothy escaped the criticism of others. Also, by making documentaries free of charge and touring to inform children of bears, he was an actor and admired by the kids.
Herzog informs us of many of Timothy’s relationships with women. Timothy dies with Amy, his girlfriend at the time; however, in Timothy’s journal entry it seems the two were having problems. Timothy mentions that Amy considered leaving him for good, and she tells him that he was “hell bent on destruction.” Timothy also dates Jewel, a founder of Grizzly People. The two share a love for the bears, but for some reason not mentioned the two failed to make the relationship last. Jewel says she feels like his widow because they remained friends through the years, and he left all of his possessions to Jewel. She received the watch he always wore and the audiotape of his death. Also, Timothy is close with Kathleen Parker, an Alaskan resident. She is in charge of spreading his ashes. Timothy is unable to make any of these relationships last. His inability to make relationships work could be from his repressed homosexuality. In one of his confessionals, Timothy stated that is would be easier to be gay. He also did not understand why girls would not stay with him for long.
In going to live with the bears and dedicating his life to their protection, Timothy was able to escape from normal human obligations and a normal human life.