Who changes?

---

I read a quote today that said unless my hero is a sociopath, characters have to face tough question and come to realisations that cause change. I would argue that even sociopaths must do this. I mean, look at Dexter - his life was one long shit storm of tough questions. The most important change is not necessarily in the character, but in the audience. Characters in a story  are really just mirrors of ourselves, and their journey a proxy for the ones we wish we could take, without having to face any real danger, heartache, pain or failure. Because in stories heroes always overcome their obstacles, or at the very least learn some important lesson that makes life worthwhile or perhaps just helps make sense of the world and our existence. In real life that's not always the case.