PC: runs around aimlessly, goes through the same set of animations all the time, can only do what the programmers thought to add
NPC: has a dayjob but does whatever they want offscreen, has boatloads of money, owns a wicked castle
author: slaves away in their den, full power over the narrative yet is bound by the market
protagonist: just never smarter than the author, sorry
secondary character: has a place in life, has plot-breaking powers, can make backstory appear retroactively