: Re: Investing in the 'wrong' character, is it a problem with the story? Since starting to learn a little about writing I've noticed that I'm more critical when I read things. This has led to

@Lee1909368

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Since your questions can and have basically been answered with one-liners ("Because taste is different, is it a true 'fault' of the author if you fail to like his hero?", and "Yes, people are diverse. Yes, some of them will probably like your secondary characters better than your hero."), here's some further thoughts on the topic of secondary characters and likeability:

I noticed that I have a peculiar weakness for characters that are second in command. These characters do have power and provide an excellent source for secondary identification, but they are not the heroes. Yet, these characters are usually my favourite characters in the book. Examples would be Starbuck in Moby Dick, Henry in Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Sirius in Harry Potter, or Childermass in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I would not at all mind to read entire book series about these characters. And yet I'm happy to have them play secondary roles in their respective works. The reason, I think, is that for me these characters act as a piece of chocolate in the dietary plan of the book. I thoroughly like these characters, but I'm not sure I could devour an entire book about them. (Just think of the gorgeous piece of cake you saw in your favourite bakery. It sure looks delicious, but then, after a third of the piece, you find that you can't possible eat one more bite of it.)

Which brings me to: The purpose of secondary characters. Yes, usually they serve a well defined purpose in terms of the plot. The Hero's Journey knows half an army of different types of secondary characters that all swarm around the hero and help to advance his/her story.

However, secondary characters can also serve an emotional purpose. They can contrast or enhance certain traits of the main character, and sometimes, it's just a relief to take your attention away from the hero and focus on somebody entirely different for a moment. Secondary characters can provide likeability and the occasional smile when the hero struggles with his/her inner demons or just committed to enormous folly. In the same manner, they can provide utter unlikeability and spell out a simple insight for you: Really, that hero person is not that bad after all ...

Concerning your question, also think of this: You never get to know your secondary characters as intimately as the main character(s). It is easy to like someone that you don't know very well, especially if you are a hopelessly optimistic person when it comes to other people, and yes, humanity in general. Keeping up that sympathy, however, when you get to know that person better and are confronted with his/her failings and flaws, is not always easy. (Think that "always" underlined. When you meet your soul mate, falling in love with him/her should be the easiest thing in the world, at least when you believe in soul mates and Hollywood romantics.) I had (real) acquaintances that I hardly see any more, because at some point, I paused and wondered: "How could you ever think that person likeable?" Answer: Because you did not know all the dirty details. And while flaws are an essential part of human characters and tend to make a person interesting and approachable, there's some that I simply cannot tolerate.

What it boils down to is this: Maybe it is easier to like (or dislike) secondary characters, because they appear to be less complex than the hero. Who knows: If the mercenary and scholar mentors had stayed in the plot, maybe they would have turned out to be worshippers of the devil or that weird kind of person that tortures piglets for pleasure. Would you still think them more likeable than the hero -- a person who has flaws, recognizes them, and works hard to overcome them, despite his boringness or peculiar character flaws that led you to dislike him in the first place?

P.S.: And for the record: I'm exactly the kind of person who concludes every single conversation about Harry Potter with a sigh and a tormented: "Why, oh why did she not write her series about the Marauders?" Because for me, that story would have been so much more rewarding and interesting. One reason is that I would have enjoyed the (adult) Marauders's world much more than Harry's. The main reason, however, is that the screaming fan girl hidden deep in my chest would have finally gotten her novel with Sirius featuring as a main character.

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