<em>Fiction</em> provides the audience an insight into the lives of the characters and their manners, vicissitudes etc, and, without pointing out specific individuals, it can express emotions in a light way. <em>The character's qualities</em> can be described by the author, <em>or by another character, or even by the characters themselves.</em>
I believe it would be character as they believe that Mrs. Reed is a hard-hearted, bad woman. I would think that revels a characteristic of a character.
