Examples of characters exhibiting flaws or dilemmas common in modern western society

A friend and I have been searching for and reading through literature with characters possessing some of the core "character flaws" or dilemmas which we believe are common in modern society. I'd like to hear whether you can come up with some specific examples as well. Some of the examples which we've been particularly interested in have been:

- Goethe's Werther from "The sorrows of young Werther". Obviously, this is a rather timeless example. The main flaw which, in our view, led to the untimely death of Werther was his inability to manage his own emotions. He required that his love towards Charlotte be reciprocated. A more emotionally mature individual might have let e.g. respect for the decisions of others, or the insistence of contributing to the lives of others instead of taking from them, gather precedence over his own emotional needs. This tendency appears to be a contributing factor to many failed relationships today as well, perhaps even more often than in earlier times due to the heightened number of chance romantic encounters.

- Kerouac's Neal Cassady from "On the Road". The main character (under the name of Dean Moriarty) of "On the road" and other novels, Neal gains richness by being ultimately an unfiltered egoist. His ability to act with immediacy on his emotions and include others in this is one source of his charm, but with this appears to come, with necessity, the impulsivity and lack of self-control which ultimately ruins his marriage, estranges him from Kerouac (though Kerouac's own alcholism also contributes here) and results in an early death. The conflict between impulsivity and freedom (desired long into life by many of us today) and the ability to form stable friendships and be trustworthly and moral appears to be a common conflict leading to breaks between both friends, marriages and employments, and in general a tendency to live a more independent life, at least in western nations.

- Gustave Flaubert's Frédéric Moreau from "A sentimental education". Frédéric exemplifies the tendency to externalise misfortune. He desires status of a rich socialite, and in particular desires the affection of his long-lasting infatuation, Madame Arnoux. When his efforts fail him, he does not blame himself (even though his own character traits are quite often a major contributing factor to his misfortune), but blames the people around him, the establishment and so forth. As our socities become more complex, many of us may feel that the causes of events in our lives have their causal origins not in our own choices, but in the structures around us, leading us to blame e.g. capitalism, youth culture, greed, egoism in others et cetera for our issues. Frédéric exemplifies this same tendency.

One example of a trait which we haven't really found is that of "excessive need for approval", as exemplified through our somewhat unhealthy need for being affirmed through e.g. social networks or friends in general, and in the phenomenon of "fear of missing out". As an aside, a character expressing the opposite may be Toto of Sibylle Berg's "Thank you for this life". Do you know of literary characters exhibiting this unhealthy need for approval? And do you have other ideas for "common issues" exemplified by literary characters?

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Examples of characters exhibiting flaws or dilemmas common in modern western society