Sorry, maybe I am dense . . . or maybe just a prude, but there isn’t any character in the story I like. Certainly, we all have flaws, but what I see as the self-indulgent flaws of these folks, makes them ultimately unlikeable.
“but what I see as the self-indulgent flaws of these folks, makes them ultimately unlikeable.”
When people are separated from the familiar, from their homes and people, they seem more likely to succumb to temptations that promise to ameliorate loneliness and offer emotional support.
When Lara and Yuri gave in to temptation, they were in such a situation. They didn’t know from day to day if they would be killed.
I’m not saying that what they did was right, but I would say that few of us would pass that test.
Therefore, I don’t put them in the same category as our depraved “if it feels good, do it” libertines. They were flawed, they were too weak to meet their challenges, and they sinned, and perhaps that’s what makes them so human.