Writer's Fallout Shelter

He has redeemable traits. It's that balance of having a rather intolerable type of person still have a core that can be redeemed. A mixture of good with the bad. They've developed the character very carefully, given him weaknesses (a bad leg that gives him a lot of pain), a loyalty to his friends (even if he doesn't really like to show it), an honest desire to help people (even if he does it best by healing disease not humans), and a sense of humor (ribald as it sometimes can be).

There is balance there. For everything we don't like about him there is something to like.You mightn't want to hang out at the pub for a beer with him and you might be a bit wary having him as your doctor except you know his track record is brilliant (even if he does make you worse before he makes you better. lol)

With Louise I expect it's the same. While there are many things he does that is despicable there are other traits that redeem him.

Perhaps part of the greatest attraction to readers in cases like these is the hope that no matter how far we fall we can still come back. The majority of humankind believe in some form of spiritual judgement so perhaps these sorts of characters give us that sense that despite all that is wrong or 'bad' with us we aren't doomed.

So far all I've noticed about 'unsympathetic' and 'despicable' characters is that they aren't ALL bad. I guess when it comes to creating a character like that HIS flaws would be the parts that redeem him. A 'good' character has to be a little bad to be best, a 'bad' character has to be a little good. Balance.

And one I needed to discover myself just now actually because the antagonists in my book haven't much 'good' about them and I'm at a point where it would be perfect to find a few redeemable traits.

Have fun and keep writing,
Yours truly,
Rebecca Laffar-Smith