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Originally Posted by G. Zeus
Yeah, Jose's probably too nice to give Henrietta a full dose. However, her frequent fits of jealousy and, more importantly, her violent reactions towards anything that seems to threaten Jose or any gifts from him (1. against the terrorists in the first episode, 2. the poor waiter with the bread knife, 3. Raballo, Jose, and Claes at the shooting range, 4. the thief who stole her camera, etc.) suggests that she's still at the age wherein she is unable to think for herself properly so that, unlike Claes and Triella, she lacks understanding of her conditioning and the will to resist it. As such, even low levels of conditioning affect her to a great extent.
Either that or she's really just emotional. 
Elsa's a bit harder to figure out though due to her lack of screen time. Lauro considered her as nothing more than a tool so it's possible that her conditioning was pretty high compared to the other girls. However, it's rather baffling when you put her beside the only other extreme case that we know of since Rico's almost her exact opposite. Given that each girl has a unique history prior to the implants, perhaps the process of creating a cyborg only erases the memory but leaves part of the initial personality intact, hence the different behaviors. |
In the anime, Jose states explicitly that he uses a minimum dose of conditioning; it's also mentioned by other characters. I assume the manga also said that?; I can't remember right now.
Anyhow, I always saw Henrietta's devotion to Jose as a genuine response to his temperament; a mix of her underlying personality (I think the girls retained their distinctive personalities, even after they lost their memories--in Henrietta's case, she's shy, craving affection, and loving--as opposed to the strong-willed Triela), his treatment of her, and the larger situation both of them are in. In Henrietta's case, I think the external factor that intensifies Henrietta's attachment to Jose is not the conditioning, but the fact that Jose actually treats her like his sister, when none of the other girls receive such treatment. Also, for whatever reason, Jose seems to be able to read Henrietta's emotions almost perfectly; this goes beyond just being "nice." For example, after the opening raid, it's clear he's annoyed at Henrietta for her going beserk. He's counseled by his colleagues to be more stern in his treatment of her. He then proceeds to ignore them, knowing that Henrietta is far harsher on herself than anyone else could be, and gives her the pick-me-up she needs. He does this, even when he's still being somewhat standoffish with her at the beginning of their pairing, perhaps out of lingering loyalty to his dead sister (cf. the chapter where Jose discards some of his reserve, and pinches her cheek).
Combined with Henrietta's own underlying desire for affection, the obvious comparison of her treatment with the others only intensifies her feelings for Jose, which helps lead to the irrational jealousy, and the uncontrolled protectiveness. You'll notice, though, that Henrietta seems much more in control of her emotions as time goes on. All the incidents you cite are pretty early on. In contrast, I think it's vol. 3 or 4 when the doc praises Jose for stabilizing Henrietta's mental state, even as she seems to become even more devoted (if that's possible) to Jose. By that time, she truly seems to be able to do her job at work, not lose control, and then come back home and "cook," to use the doctor's previous analogy. IIRC, in the second visit, there's also no obsessive body count to try to prove her "usefulness" to Jose, which had come up in the first doctor's visit--she herself seems to realize over time that that isn't what Jose wants her to be like. The irony is that at this later point Jose seems to grow weary of reciprocating her devotion, and the doctor needs to give him a pep talk. The memory of his sister also seems to help sustain his affection, which I actually think is genuine (even if he himself doubts that at times).
I think it's a singular (and meaningful) irony of the series that perhaps the most intense affection held by a girls for a fratello (I should say I haven't read the new Russian girl's arc) is the one least influenced by the conditioning; the real source is something more akin to the younger sister who worships her benevolent and seemingly all-knowing older brother, who treats her like a princess in a world filled with death, violence, and suffering. After all, in the flashbacks up to vol. 6 I've seen, Jose's real biological sister also seems to have been absurdly devoted to her big brother--and she also seems to have felt neglected by the other family members.
I actually wonder if the Jose/Henrietta pair has been sort-of developed as far as it can go, barring a catastrophic event like a death, which would explain why it's been getting less attention as far as I can tell in the manga. We've already seen a fair number of flashbacks of Jose's previous younger sister, so the complexities of the situation on his end have been fleshed out. While Henrietta's devotion to Jose seems relatively straightforward, his motivations are hideously complex--a mix of sympathy, pity, obligation, guilt, the desire to replace his sister, and, IMO, genuine concern and affection--yes, indeed, love--for Henrietta the human being. We've already seen much of that, in his flashbacks, moments of self-criticism, and Jean's "conversation" with his sister's ghost. As for Henrietta, is she going to become even *more* devoted to Jose? Is that even possible? The addition of a "romantic" element seems unlikely to me (thankfully, because I would find it really creepy), because it's pretty clear that Jose *does not* think of Henrietta that way (the kaleidoscope raised an eyebrow, but all the flashbacks to his sister count against that). And while Henrietta might very well have become another Elsa (i.e. crazed jilted lover syndrome) if Jose had been like Lauro, Jose isn't, and I think Henrietta is more than content with their purely brother/sister relationship, assuming, of course, that she was the exclusive focus of his life. Which she is. So maybe the only plot development that could scramble things is Jose getting a girlfriend, but that, again, seems to be unlikely, because, as far as I can tell, Henrietta is as much at the center of Jose's universe, as he is for her.
For me, that's perhaps the most compelling part of the series; how you could have such a connection between two people, but in such an unforgiving, cruel, and hateful environment.
But that's just my opinion...