Oh, that's interesting indeed! I've got a few novel ideas floating around in my grey matter, and the concept of building out a character entirely is one that is very important.
Its definitely evident that Card put that thought into each of his characters in this book, as they're deep and flawed individuals, as opposed to the likes of some modern sci-fi, like the hero of Project Hail Mary (and The Martian) who may as well be the same character, as they are so one dimensional.