I understand why some people don't want to advance the story to chapter 6, because it sounds soul-crushing, but they're also missing out on the best content of the game.
Personally, l adore Chapter 6:
The Butcher's Creek missions are easily some of the funniest of the game, only surpassed by taking Lenny to the saloon. It's up there with the Lion from Margaret's Menagerie when it comes to memorable stranger missions.
The conclusion to "The Course of True Love" is both funny and tender and it's heart-warming to see Arthur take care of these young people. Also, have you seen Arthur's face as he's driving that train to the station? He's enjoying himself more than in any other part of the game (perhaps safe for, again, the time he took Lenny to the saloon).
The Widow of Willard's Rest. Do you like your hero taking care of someone and then being taken care of in turn? Meet Charlotte. She will charm you by ineptly skinning a rabbit and swaddling Arthur in warm blankets and feeding him stew.
Hamish Sinclair and Buell. You love the way Arthur talks softly to your horse? Wait till you've heard him talk to Buell. You love the way high honour Arthur treats people so kindly? Wait till he meets Hamish who has seen a lot of shit in the war and understands Arthur like no other stranger. And then watch both of them be total goofs together as they go fishing.
Speaking of good guy Arthur: you're missing out on the one mission only available to high honour bandits: there's nothing that'll cleanse your soul like helping out the Downes family and seeing Arthur make peace with who he was and who he is. Also, have you heard the soundtrack for that mission???
Same thing (to a slightly lesser degrees) with doing the final money lending missions and giving away all your money to the victims your gang has been taking advantage of. There's nothing as catarthic in the rest of the game apart from bullying Dutch and shooting Micah in the face.
Getting to save Captain Monroe and realising he's the kind of good guy Arthur could have been if his life had went a little differently.
Sister Calderon telling Arthur "do not be afraid".
Charles hugs Arthur, twice, and only one of those hugs is sad.
Arturo Bullard. We knew him only briefly, alas, but he's one of the most likable strangers in the game, alongside Charlotte, Hamish and Albert.
Did I mention meeting Arturo Bullard leads to Arthur riding in a hot air balloon? There's a hot air balloon in this game and it's only available to the chapter 6 crowd.
Colm O'Driscoll hangs. And until that moment you would not have believed the range of expressions a video game character's face can take on in contemporary video games and how far animation has come over the years.
Going down the rapids in a little canoo after rescuing Eagle Flies from the army is so much fun. You ever looked at the rapids in the mountains thinking "man if only the game let us go down them in a boat". Only in Chapter 6, my friend.
Arthur FINALLY has a heart-to-heart with John after they blow up a railway bridge together and it's just as awkward and awesome as you imagine.
Arthur has a heart-to-heart with Sadie before and after murdering all of the O'Driscoll's and although this one is genuinely gut-wrenching you do not want to miss it.
Arthur and Sadie looking out for each other in Chapter 6 is such a good and heart-warming thing in general? The line about "we're more ghost's than people" is more than just a cool sounding line that's popular to use in gif-sets. It's about two characters who have been hurt realising they're kindred spirits and how they can make use of their pain to protect the "real people" like Abigail and Jack.
There's a long, tense fight scene on TOP of a moving train and it's so much grander than the one in chapter 1 bc this train ain't stopping and, oh, remember the blown-up railway bridge I mentioned? Yeah. Train's not stopping for that one either.
Seeing the dream buck (or coyote) for the first time in the waking world is such a powerful moment. Previously you'd only see it when Arthur was unconscious/having a near-death experience. But suddenly it's right there in front of you, looking at you and it's right after you found out how sick Arthur is and it's telling you "this is the path you've chosen. Do not fuck this up". "The fork in the road" is one of my favourite story quests in the entire game because of this.
The sequence of Arthur's last ride back to camp. You can watch a video of it but it'll never be the same as playing the mission with your Arthur, watching him put on his hat and hear all the quotes of the strangers whose lives he touched (and they will be different quotes depending on what missions you played, particularly if you haven't played the entire game with high honour) and hear "That's the way it is" start to play.
The reprise of "Unshaken" during Arthur's final moments gave me goosebumps.
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