That's interesting, I see them more like trapped and still doing what they really want instead of what the prison they live in tries to force them to do. It's a theme that repeats all over the place. I would call it "assertive" instead of "selfish".

Edit: as an example, Peggy goes to extremes to do what she wants to do, overcoming all the obstacles that come her way. Is she selfish? Maybe but what kind of life would have she had if she had acted in some other way?