In AW specifically there just isn't much room for revelation. The characters are mostly going to places they already know, or kind of know, or know of. Same with mystery, there just isn't much room for it given the nature of the fictional circumstances.
There is some hidden backstory and mystery (or can be), especially around the psychic maelstrom. It just not the sort of fictional situation where that's stuff prominent.
A month in the life of midnight:
She's got a whole death wish thing going on because she's fundamentally morally compromised because she's the assassin for the Doubleshots, a slaver gang. Her girlfriend the skinner has just broken up with her because of the whole assassin thing going too far.
She goes to Kumpftown to see sludge and get high. It's been burnt to the ground by the pyrocult. She goes and finds the pyrocult and the leader assures her that this is a cleansing fire that will wipe away the old and all sin. She likes that idea and joins the cult. (the pyro ideology is in my prep as part of the leaders backstory)
They go and burn another village and watching the flames she decides that actually the world is just screwed. she massacres the pyro cult and wonders the anti-wastes to die. (in my prep there is a ten foot high mutant people eater there)
she gets captured and hung up by the brain eater, he's ready to eat her and he says 'make you scream first. block out bad things in world for moment.' he speaks like the hulk or something.
Midnight is all 'yeah I know that feeling.' which surprises the brain eater and he feels a human connection so he cuts her down.
Midnight has made a friend and so she goes back to the holding, with brain eater in tow, to try and persuade her ex to give her another chance.
There's just fundamentally not a lot of room for backstory revelations.
