Is Alan Collinge a hero or a fool?

Aged 45, he has devoted his life to fighting to change federal student-load laws.  Meanwhile, he estimates his own debts with interest to have grown to a quarter million dollars.  He "almost famous" with a book and many media appearances to his credit.  He's also described as depressed.
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Student-Loan-Crusader-Who/228561/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

http://www.amazon.com/Attorney-At-Large-Columns-Reviews/dp/1453831827/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1408803528&sr=8-21&keywords=castagnera