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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/31931
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Generally, trios work because a trio follows an Id-Ego-Superego dynamic. Two better display it, I'll swap out characters for two famous fictional trios: Repsectively, this can be the McCoy(Bones)-Kirk-Spock dynamic OR the Ron-Harry-Hermione dynamic.

The Id (Bones, Ron) is the emotional and intuitive member of the team. They are generally more knowledgeable in society matters and how society will react to events (street smarts). There skills will rely on manuvering complexities of politics and while not an academic sort (That isn't to say that Bones isn't smart, because he'll remind you he's a doctor), they are the more passionate and caring than their opposite number, the Super-ego, and generally are anti-rule and look at society through the lense of the common people.

The Super-Ego (Spock, Hermione) is the more logical and more calculating of the trio. They are book smart as opposed to street smart and understand the theories and sciences of their universe better than the either two. They tend to approach society by the understanding of the rules and authority, rather than the people bound by those (Consider Herminoe who appeals that a proper society that abhors classist notions would not have House Elves, as opposed to Ron, who says, "Yeah, but that's not what people do."). The Super-Ego will typically have a better tactical knowledge and can get frustrated when people do not listen to logic and reason, even if it's in their best interest.

The Ego (Kirk, Harry) is typically the hero in the simplest use (though variants exist), and will represent the balance between the Id and Super-Ego. They typically are good at listening to both sides of the argument and can find a way to phrase the raw passion in a way that the Super-ego can understand and vice versa. This allows them the fluidity to understand both sides to have validity but see the flaw in both pure implementations. As the hero, this typically results in the decisions that win the day, combining the best of the other solutions to cover the base.

In this situation, a good balance is that if side character one is the skeptic towards basic human decency, then your other guy must balance this with "Our enemies are not inhumans" and that there is a line that we cannot cross. Another option is that he is the eternal optimist and believes in the people, not necessarily the society. In the original Fruedian origin, the Super-Ego is the person who understands the systems of society (not so much general logic, but society logic, rules, and laws.). The Id understands the society culture (the way people act inside of prespective laws... what they say versus what they do.)

Original score: 3