I've always assumed that he was kind of a lonely scientist and part of him didn't really want to go back home because he enjoyed leaping around from life to life having different adventures. It would have to be better than hanging around in a laboratory 70 hrs a week.
shareHe was married I believe. If I remember correctly, one episode he got to see hus wife again when he was in the Quantum Leap chamber in the future
shareOriginally he wasn't married. His fiancée left him. He went back in time and saw her in college (Teri Hatcher) and fixed her past which resulted in him marrying her (Star-Crossed - June 15, 1972). Then they reunited (Mimi Kuzyk) in the episode where he and Al switched (The Leap Back - June 15, 1945). After he leaped again, his memories of her were removed. I don't know why. Maybe his memories were reset to his original state.
shareLeaping causes you to lose your memories, as proven during the shows early episodes. When he leapt again in place of Al, it wiped his mind as it did in the first episode.
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