Rap, I think you're misinterpreting my defense of various characters as saying that they are "real". What I am saying is that they have their own particular psychology, and are autonomous in that sense. They don't necessarily think what I would think or do as I would do...to put it mildly! I may have created them...but once created, they have free will to act in the way they choose to act...not as I would choose to act. This is the nature of created beings. Once created, they take on a life of their own, and they can work their destiny out in ways that the creator may not have intended. Being a kind and loving creator, I give them freedom to do that.

Having created everything yourself, you must surely see how this works. ;-)

I want to say something important now. I did not create Amos. Let's be perfectly clear about that. He is not my responsibility in any way.