i was going to write :
Societies that sees as "heroic" such futile waste of time, is really sick to its core. Although i can see that someone could become broken enough to waste their life in similar ways ... to try and divert ressources to their foolish ego.
Now, let the down-votes rain on my unpopular and maybe extremist opinion.
But, if maybe, they made a good life, full of good deeds along the way, then : yes, this is possibly heroic, i could not judge nor have any means to know their true lives.