In his external world, Walter is basically miserable. His wife constantly nags and criticizes him about everything he does (or forgets to do). His only means of happiness is to escape into his imagination. He is inept in a number of ways. Since he is always daydreaming, he is absentminded. This just leads to more criticism. The cop yells at him when he doesn't notice the light change. The parking lot attendant yells at him when he thoughtlessly drives in the wrong lane. In the external world, Walter is continually badgered, so it is no wonder that he retreats to the more glorious world of his imagination. In this respect, I have sympathy for Walter who feels the need to retreat from the world.
On the other hand, consider the idea that most of Walter's time is spent daydreaming. Therefore, mathematically speaking, he is happy (in his imagination) most of the time. If he is happy most of the time, why would we feel sorry for him? It's true that he is not happy in his "real life," but who's to say that his "real life" should be more important than the life of his mind? This is just a philosophical point to complicate the argument. Clearly, if everyone just lived in his/her own mind, the world would be a chaotic mess. But for miserable dreamers like Walter, the imaginative retreat might be a good alternative.
Also consider the notion that if Walter is miserable in his "real life," it is his fault. If he committed himself to the external world, he would be more aware. He would be more focused and would be more successful. Less mistakes would lead to less criticism. If he became more diligent in pursuing his dreams in real life, he might actually achieve them. So, in this analysis, I can't really feel bad for Walter if he is miserable in his real life because he is the one holding himself back.
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