I’ve had a few people, when asking me about the chapter of my thesis on Bride of Reanimator specifically, frame Herbert and Dan’s relationship as existing entirely within the allegorical framework of domesticity. So I wanna be very clear—I do think on some level, Herbert perceives them as being in a legitimate relationship. In his mind, they're dating.
And conveniently/coincidentally, Herbert West is absolutely not the type of person to enjoy conventional dating. It’s a waste of time and a distraction from his work—plus most traditional dates would force them to be *seen* together in an overly romantic context, which for the mid-1980s is genuinely dangerous. He doesn't really display affection conventionally, and isn’t a super physical person, outside of the fact that he and Dan touch A Lot. I think that in Herbert’s mind, the minute Dan tried to reanimate Meg and then ran off to Peru with him, he was just like "oh, OK! so we're lovers now, understood". For him, it’s just a largely asexual domestic partnership—if Dan wanted more conventional physical affection (kissing and the like) he’d simply need to ask, and Herbert would pencil it in.
If Dan doesn't understand that, that's his issue.
