I'm no writer but I do think something that helps re-enforce characters outside of stuff like design etc, is how they interact with others. not just towards the player but essentially everyone. the game gives you a little insight on all the characters as the player character acts as a means to view the links between those characters and the player character their-self. it made everyone feel more lively and genuine which acted as a motivator to pursue the game further to its end. it's not much but the dev does really well for what the game has in it, which can always be appreciated if not respected.