Really happy to hear you like it this much! ^_^
I used to do this as a hobby, and my previous games were all completely free. Needing the money, I opened up the Patreon, and luckily things worked out well. It would have felt weird to try and lock the game completely behind a paywall, so I decided to use the current system. Plus, I feel like on the internet it's better to rely on the goodwill of others, since everyone could pirate the game, if they wanted to.
I hope you'll get your job back soon, whether you become my patron or not! :)