Oedipus Rex: How does familial conflict reveal the protagonist's character?

Oedipus Rex is an interesting take on family, because Oedipus is constantly ignorant of who his blood relatives are. Baby Oedipus is left for dead by his parents in order to avoid a terrifying prophecy. Thus, Oedipus grows up with the royal family of a neighboring kingdom, and believes them to be his real parents. Little to no conflict arises within this happy unit, until Oedipus is told that he will kill his father and marry his mother. In order to save his family, Oedipus leaves the city. Here, we see that Oedipus is unselfish; he is willing to desert his title and his home for the sake of his parents, whom he loves. He also places a large amount of trust in his parents-- when a drunk man tells him he's adopted, they are insulted and reassure him that he is their son. When he finds out that he endangers them, he sets out immediately.

At a crossroads, Oedipus encounters a man who will not yield to him and even tries to force him off the road. They fight, and Oedipus ends up killing the man and his companions. Unknowingly, Oedipus has just killed his own father, proving that though he is loyal, he is temperamental and unbalanced as well. Rather than respectfully deferring to the man, he insists upon battling, and shows his violent side. Upon arriving in Thebes, Oedipus proceeds to marry the conveniently widowed queen, Jocasta, and have children with her. However, the prophecy soon asserts itself in the form of a plague on the city, and Oedipus' misdeeds are revealed to him with dramatic aplomb. Jocasta runs into the palace and kills herself, prompting Oedipus to stab out his own eyes with the pins from her dress. This action is certainly in response to his own transgressions, but also a testament to the fact that he loved Jocasta, even if he loved her in a wife-sense instead of a mother-sense. His grief over her suicide is a cruel consequence of the prophecy taking everything from Oedipus; we then can see his character to be well-intentioned and pure, but grievously disfigured by a cruel fate.

All in the Family

Family is an integral part of life that holds many different forms. It takes many forms-- different religions, countries, and races all have unique family models that can vary greatly or not at all. However, one thing is inevitable when dealing with families: conflict. Emotions run high when people are inextricably linked together, and even those who love and adore each other can clash when the situation goes awry. Thus, my big question is: 

How does familial conflict reveal a protagonist's character?

Literature is so rich with complex characters that I wanted to find a way to isolate some of their most obvious traits. Part of my inspiration was the saying that advises, "If you go to lunch with someone, observe how they treat the waiter." Our attitudes towards our family reveal our deepest thoughts, feelings, inclinations, and, most importantly, our true selves. Even when our family acts out of love, we sometimes react in harsh ways that indicate an inner issue or doubt; conversely, when family members are spiteful or malicious, the character's feelings may remain affectionate, therefore proving their loyalty. Essentially, man's responses to the actions of those he calls kin denote his own psyche, and by analyzing this in multiple pieces of literature, we can deepen our understanding of character motives and development.