I'm a big fan of Keith Johnstone and his book, "Impro," and have been lucky enough to study with him personally, briefly. One of his core concepts is that the key to human transactions is the quest for status. Some people want high status--to feel superior to others. Some are more comfortable feeling low status. I'm sure you've met some strong examples of both kinds.
Talk about your last vacation. The high status person will have been there already and imply that it was much better then. The low status person will be express envy that you can go to such a wonderful place.
Of course status can change according to circumstance. A man may be high status at work but low status in relation to his spouse.
We can even express status relative to an object--like a computer or a ticket machine at at train station.
In the first paragraph, was I trying to be high status by mentioning that I've studied with Johnstone? Maybe. But then did a lower status impulse prompt me to add that it was only briefly? Hmmm.
Johnstone writes, "Once you understand that every sound and posture implies a status, then you perceive the world quite differently, and the change is probably permanent. In my view, really accomplished actors, directors and playwrights are people with an intuitive understanding of the status transactions that govern human relationships. This ability to perceive the underlying motives of casual behavior can also be taught."
He adds, "A good play is one which ingeniously displays and reverses the status between the characters. Many writers with great talent have failed to write successful plays because of a failure to understand that drama is not primarily a literary art."
It can be very helpful to think about your characters in this way.
Almost any Shakespeare play is worth studying in this light. For instance, in MacBeth, it's Lady McB's desire for higher status that starts them on their doomed path. In King Lear it's Lear's feeling that Cordelia isn't willing to give him the high status he thinks he deserves from her. In both plays, the protagonists' status fluctuates and each change moves the story forward.
In the situations in your story, do they feel high or low status? What happens that reverses their status? How does that shift create action that moves the story along?