Yes those are good analogies.

If you look at a flat rubber tire tube the rubber has elasticity you pump air in you inflate the tire but there is pressure trying to expel the air from the rubber elasticity.

We see "unused" space as space with no energy at what we call zero potential as energy is put into it it assumes a new "ground" potential but that is not zero it is the equivalent of your tire pressure.

We are not sure if energy is pushed in or we are looking more like space as a sponge where it absorbs energy. From inside your tire your would not be sure if air was being pumped in or a vacuum cleaner was sucking air in. Push and pull of energy into zero energy space would look the same to us.

I believe in "Evil, Bad, Ungodly fantasy science and maths", so I am undoubtedly wrong to you.