I appreciate Joyce Messier so much
In a game full of often absurd characters, none surprised me more than her. I first saw her on her fancy boat in her fancy clothes as Kim warned me she would manipulate me and expected a caricature of ruthless self absorbed capitalist lacking any self awareness, a regular old Ozonne Margaret Thatcher.
Instead what I got was arguably one of the most understanding and complex characters in the game, knowledgeable not only of worldly affairs but also incredibly class conscious.
Even when you disagree with her, she never really takes offense. In fact it seems like she is amused by the chance to engage in dialectical discussion, conceding certain points while making incredibly fair ones. On top of that she seems happy to see the world through your fresh pair of eyes as she explains it to you. There was something special about just going out to the pier at night after Kim went to bed and philosophizing about The Pale, as though she was some secret back alley forbidden-knowledge peddler.
She assuredly has her own ends, and she is definitely using you, but she is also doing a lot more than she has to for you and I think that comes from sympathy for your situation. It's heavily implied that the Pale took a lot from her, least of all seems to be her ability to sleep, and I think she sees herself in Harry as he wanders confused about the nature of the world with his identity taken from him. Overall, a great character, wonderful voice acting and so far my favorite.