"This is the waiting room."

Agreed it is a waiting room for both--it all depends upon what is going on with the person in the waiting room, if they face what is happening with "imperfect courage" or if, for some reason, they are allowed into the White Lodge (which may be what happened to the children "abducted" in Secret History--perhaps innocent children get a free pass to the White Lodge). Dale, as courageous as he was, was "imperfect" (like all tragic heroes) because (to put it very bluntly) sex. Two reasons: he felt guilty, as if he'd betrayed the love of his life, Caroline, and also felt guilty because by falling in love with Annie (and consummating it) he placed her in danger and "could not protect her"---the thing he told Audrey he would never do again.

For that reason, his courage (his spirit, his soul) was imperfect--and thus his imprisonment in the Black Lodge. He became vulnerable to Bob--at least for a while (25 years).