The dictionary defines character simply as a person in a play or a novel. However, in the context of defining a person as a character, the meaning is quite different. What we mean is that the person is different from the masses; they march to a different drummer. They are unusual.
I believe there is at least one good book in every adult, if you could just sit down with them and dig it out. In writing this book, the only character that I briefly interviewed was Ham. Which brings up another point, I have used bogus names for these characters in order to protect the innocent Ð guilty too.
Onward thru the Fog, and enjoy these folk.