Your point is very well taken Natasa, and perhaps sums up for me why I could never describe myself as a 'character junkie' because I simply don't enjoy reading passages like the imaginary one you gave.
If someone maintains that Vila is a sage behind his clownish mask, that's fine with me. If the above paragraph were his stream of consciousness, I don't think I would complain.
I think you are being too kind here, though.
On the other hand - who knows what people are like 'inside their heads'. I have a problem in that most of what I do inside is non-verbal, which is why I am so often groping for terms and names. However many linguistic philosophers claim that thought is entirely couched in verbal terms, and perhaps this is for them an accurate representation of how they experience their own internal life.
Perhaps this explains why people (like me) are so prone to use ellipses, disjointed phrases, repetition etc. Stylistically I am doing it to try to convey in verbal terms a non-verbal experience. Uhh.. I guess.
Alison