When my BFF’s cat died, they were crying, upset, completely disconsolate. I was a bit suprised that they were even sadder than when their father had died. They said: “it’s because my cat never told me I was doing everything wrong.”

Likewise, there’s a saying along the lines of: every man is a hero to his dog. Some people talk to plants, or hug stuffed animals. So I think there’s value to that kind of relationship. Obviously if you ONLY talk to plants or stuffed animals then you might get a little weird, but otherwise it seems OK.