What made Willy Loman commit suicide In Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller reveals the tragedy of an ordinary man Willy Loman He commits suicide to escape failure and to help his family His death comes from broken dreams mental pain and false beliefs about success and love Failure of the American Dream Willy believes that success means being liked and rich He fails to achieve this dream after years of struggle He says After all the highways you end up worth more dead than alive His words show his hopelessness about life s meaning Mental and Emotional Breakdown Willy becomes tired and confused with age He often talks to himself and imagines the past His job loss debts and guilt make him weak Linda says sadly He s a human being attention must be paid These words show his silent suffering and loneliness False Hope and Wrong Values Willy