In lines 408 - 421, Gilbert makes a decision. What is the decision, and what does this choice reveal about him as a character?

Gilbert pulled out his spyglass and looked ahead at the
fort. All the rails converged on it, but without ever meeting.
And some stretched beyond. And out there, somewhere, there
was time like space and space like time. And somewhere there
was a father on a ship that weathered a storm rather than
succumbed to it.
Gilbert turned to his friends and shook each of their hands
in turn. Neils was crying a little. Emmy gave Gilbert a friendly
punch in the shoulder and then a hug.
There was another Kalamazoo to the right, and Gilbert
was pretty sure he could easily make the leap from his car to
it. And then to the next car, and the next. And beyond, into
the infinite sideways.
If there was an answer, he’d find it there.