It seemed to “hit him” when his wife died. That was the point where he switched from simply ranting and musing about the stupidities of modern life, to an all-out assault on America and everything else. I think he felt that everything that had mattered to him had been taken away.
I'm not suggesting you're defending Carlin, but I'm of the opinion he was not a nice person at all. And some forums/posters keep going on about what a loss it is.
Why? Because he was famous?