No...it is not a proper noun.
The title could be interpreted as a story about a man's dream and the confusion of was he dreaming or did it actually happen. Or it could be interpreted as a delusion a man had and he is having trouble figuring out the difference between reality or imagination.
The conventional rule is to take the plural form of the verb when two nouns are joined by the conjunction 'and'. However, there are exceptions. Only then can you break the rule.
When the two nouns refer to one thing only, then you can use the single form. For example: The president and the CEO joins the meeting today. In this example, the president and CEO apply to one person only. Hence, you use the singular form of the verb.
