SIGNS OF A GOOD CHARACTER

Signs of a good character (whether they are actually good or a villain!), include:-

1. You have to read about them.  There is something about them that draws you in and makes you want to know more.
   
2. You want them to succeed.  A well drawn villain can have the same effect.  (Indeed the really good villains will make you sympathise with them far more than you normally would for any villain or anti-hero).
   
3. They attract others to their cause because they either elicit sympathy or are charasmatic enough people will go to the ends of the earth for them (literally possibly too!).
   
4. You want to know more about them than the author gave you.
   
5. You can pick out more about them from between the lines of what the author did give you.  (A kind of sensing a likely back story).
   
6. Once the story is over, you can visualise what the character would go on to do  next.  (I can understand fan fiction while not writing it - or wishing to).
   
7. In novels where the same characters appear, each of the novels shows significant development in those characters.  Best example of this for me is Sam Vimes in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
   
8. A good character has depth to them and how they handle crises reveals more of that depth.
   
9. You can see the potential for the character to develop further at the end of the story.
   
10. You can see why the author has portrayed the character the way they have.  It really should all follow through.