Neal needs love and admiration like he needs air, but there's a huge obstacle to his ever having someone to grow old with. He doesn't like sex, so he rarely gets past a [some number, anon doesn't want to imply there's a standard number of dates before sex] date. At some point they *always* expect what he can't stand to give them. Kate was the only woman he'd ever known who was like him and didn't want sex. Without her, he faces the rest of his life needing love but ultimately lonely. I'd like to see Peter or maybe Elizabeth figure this out.