Solipsism… this was what I was thinking, too. The idea sort of assumes that you are the only conscious being within your reality — otherwise how would you explain the experience, say, Jerry’s boss had? One minute he’s fine, the next he’s an alcoholic a**hole — why? According to this theory, Jerry is Universe #2 was just an NPC, or perhaps existing as a potential, until Jerry in Universe #1 died and slid into Universe #2 — but what about all the people left behind in Universe #1? Do they continue to exist their merry lives? And, if so, is everyone in Universe #2 now an NPC? This would suggest a very creepy and concerning reality, where anyone who’s experienced a near-death experience is now living in a simulation made up of non-conscious beings. I don’t think this idea is compatible with the idea of more than one person being “truly conscious”…