Science fiction is not all aliens and space battles. In the best books the scenarios the characters battle through change them and teach them lessons we can all benefit from. Think about this from Allegiant in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth:
“Take away someone’s fear, or low intelligence, or dishonesty… and you take away their compassion. Take away someone’s aggression and you take away their motivation, or their ability to assert themselves. Take away their selfishness and you take away their sense of self-preservation. If you think about it, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.”
I tick off each quality in my mind as he says it—fear, low intelligence, dishonesty, aggression, selfishness. He is talking about the factions. And he’s right to say that every faction loses something when it gains a virtue: the Dauntless, brave but cruel; the Erudite, intelligent but vain; the Amity, peaceful but passive; the Candor, honest but inconsiderate; the Abnegation, selfless but stifling.
What about you? Would you fit into one of the factions or are you more well-rounded? Does your bravery make you cruel, your intelligence make you vain, your peace make you passive? Worth a bit of self-examination.