The American Dean

Naturally, after Ms. Siegel made the comment about the abundance of sadness, I was tempted to count words. In just the first few pages of part III, sad/sadness is used three times. However, the usage of it dwindles down to being almost nonexistant as of chapter 2, when he meets up with Dean again. Naturally, this got me thinking. The American Dream is ultimately to be happy and successful, so I suppose sadness is essentially The American Nightmare. So could Dean possibly be a human incarnation of the American Dream? Sal is constantly following and looking for Dean, which could equate to searching for the American Dream. Dean has always had companionship and a vigor for life, and now is even starting to settle down with a kid and have the potential for true success...

I know it may be a stretch, but add a letter, change another, and Dean = Dream...