I've married before and it was no better, and if I divorce Kathy I'll marry again-because as my brainbasher puts it I can't find my identity outside the role of husband and daddy and big butter-and-egg-man wage earner-and the next damn one will be the same because that's the kind I select. It's rooted in my temperament.
The narrator reflects on their past marriage and emphasizes a recurring pattern in their relationships. They suggest that even if they were to divorce their current partner, Kathy, they would likely enter another marriage. This highlights a deep-seated dependence on the roles of being a husband and father, which they feel define their identity and self-worth.
The speaker acknowledges that this inclination is tied to their temperament, indicating an inability to establish a sense of self outside traditional family dynamics. They recognize a pattern in their choice of partners, suggesting that their next relationship would mirror the same dynamics, reinforcing their established role as a provider and caretaker.
