It is at the heart of Blade Runner and the core of the character. Which makes the joke relevant.
The point is that Deckard is not by any measure a hero. He does get his electric sheep, (some might say he stole his precious) but he does it wrong and runs away.
Gaff becomes the most humane human in the story. Batty becomes the second most humane.
Every character is either broken or destroyed.
Sad story.
A Greek Tragedy in my book: the "rape" of Rachael can be also interpreted as something else in terms of implanted memories and how "It" re-acts during that episode.
First: the concept of that Replicant being four years old (or less) is irrelevant into that discussion since, during the V.K. test, Deckard had to ask more than a hundred questions to discover that Rachael was, indeed, a Replicant. Her inception date has nothing to do with the child/adult memories she possess: for example, her as a child discovering the spider giving birth to a thousand baby spiders, or her answer to Deckard's question about not being a lesbian.
Second: certain memories have to be brought into the fore by "living the action". Deckard's words that Rachael repeats: "I want you", "kiss me"...those are acting like some sort of catalyst to bring those memories to the surface and the proper context (love-making). It shows that some memories, or innate tools, to understand a certain situation exist already in Rachael's mind...and, according to her life experiences these tools might or might not be used.
Third: is Deckard a hero? Well, the definition of a hero is someone who puts his life on the line to save someone else. So, in that case, Gaff is the one who could kill Deckard + Rachael. Kill Deckard for not respecting the law (kill all Replicants) and Rachael, of course.
So, Deckard saves Rachael from Gaff and the Blade Runner squad, even if Gaff spares Rachael in the end...
Fourth: Deckard needs Rachael and vice-versa: two lonely people finding each other in some sort of forbidden relationship. Fleeing the city to hide from the BR hunters.
