Yeah. In other cultures it might not be such a big deal, but... in Japan, asking a girl to move with you is basically asking for her hand (and other kinds of permissions).
It is agonizing when the chapter ends on a bad spot, but nothing we can't handle (I myself am a survivor of the Attack on Titan cliffhangers 😉). Please prioritize your own wellbeing.
More pieces of the jigsaw puzzle reveal themselves... Yet, their (apparent) lack of connection suggests that the lore is more complex than predicted.
Nevertheless, now I am more convinced than ever that the Lord of Mystery will eventually turn on our protagonists. Even if it is just to protect...
For reference, I have rented apartments in Japan several times and most of them didn't have a lock in the bathroom doors (which were often rather flimsy/hollow to begin with). I do not know if it was a cultural thing or part of a seismic building code, but it is not just a doujinshi-only thing.
At the cost of being accused of moral relativism... I believe any society should be judged by how it treats those at the bottom, including bandits.
Should they punished? Yes. How much?... I fear it depends on the ability of their system to rehabilitate them. If, like in this case, the...