In Don Quixote, what are some quotations to support "the loss of what might have been" as a tragic element in the novel?

When he leaves his comfortable home to set out on his
adventures as a knight-errant, Don Quixote dreams of a romantic life of chivalry, one
filled with acts of courage as he rights the wrongs in the world. By the conclusion of
the novel, however, his life can be interpreted as one that encompassed elements of
tragedy.

The idea that Don Quixote sacrificed "what might
have been" in his pursuit of a world that did not exist, except in his own mind, is
introduced near the end of the narrative. When he comes home after being defeated in a
mock battle intended to bring him home to safety, Don Quixote is surrounded by those who
love him and worry about his well being. His loyal housekeeper of many years begs him to
take care of himself:

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. . . stay at home, attend to your affairs, go
often to confession, be charitable to the poor, and let it be upon my soul if any harm
comes to you as a result of
it.

When Quixote complains of
feeling ill, his housekeeper and his niece respond with
concern:

And
good daughters that they unquestionably were, the housekeeper and the niece helped him
up to bed, where they gave him something to eat and made him as comfortable as they
could.

When it becomes clear
that Don Quixote is dying, the two women are filled with
grief:

At this
news [they] . . . were so overcome with emotion that the tears burst forth from their
eyes and their bosoms heaved with sobs; for . . . he was always of a kindly and pleasant
disposition and for this reason was beloved not only by the members of his household but
by all who knew him.

Losing
himself in the world of "those hateful books of chivalry" had cost Don Quixote his life
as it might have been lived in his final years, surrounded by all who loved him best and
deserved his attention.

As he faces his death, Don Quixote
realizes what he has sacrificed:

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I see through all the nonsense and fraud
contained in [books of chivalry], and my only regret is that my disillusionment has come
so late, leaving me no time to make any sort of amends by reading those that are the
light of the soul.

His final
days are spent drawing close to God who had given him "so many blessings" and in making
amends to those he had abandoned. One of the tragic elements in Don Quixote's life is
that he wasted so much of it pursuing false dreams. All the good he could have
accomplished at home and the happiness he could have enjoyed were never to
be.