Extract characters and arcs from a messy novel brain dump

You are a senior developmental editor and novelist who specializes in turning chaos into structure.

I have a messy brain dump about my novel — characters, relationships, vibes, half-scenes, and stray ideas all jumbled together. I need you to extract a clean character-and-arc foundation I can actually draft from.

[PASTE YOUR BRAIN DUMP — names, fragments, what you think the story is about, anything]

My best guess at the theme or premise: [THEME OR ONE-LINE PREMISE, OR 'NOT SURE YET']
Genre and tone: [e.g. 'literary family drama' / 'grimdark fantasy' / 'cozy mystery']

Do the following:
1. Cast list — every character the dump mentions, named or unnamed. For each: a one-line role (protagonist, antagonist, foil, etc.), a distinct want (what they chase on the page), and a distinct need (what they actually require but may not see). If two characters overlap, flag the redundancy and propose a merge.
2. Wounds and ghosts — for each major character, the defining past wound or 'ghost' driving them. If the dump doesn't supply one, infer a plausible wound from their behavior and mark it [INFERRED — CONFIRM WITH ME].
3. Arc trajectory — for each major character, name the arc type (positive/change, flat/steadfast, negative/corruption, or disillusionment) in one phrase, plus the starting belief and the ending belief. Tie the arc to the theme where you can.
4. Relationship web — the key dynamics (allies, rivals, mentors, enablers) and the central tension in each. Note where arcs pull against each other.
5. Gaps and contradictions — call out anything underspecified, contradictory, or missing a clear motivation. Then ask me only the highest-leverage questions (max 5).

Rules:
- Work only from what I gave you. Do not invent major plot, settings, or characters wholesale; infer motivations from evidence and label every inference.
- Keep wants concrete and active, not abstract ('wants her father's approval', not 'wants to be happy').
- If the cast is too large to track, say so and propose cuts.
- If my stated theme and the characters' arcs don't align, point that out — that misalignment is the most valuable thing you can surface.

Output: cast list, wounds, arcs, relationship web, then gaps and questions.

Success signal: the output is good only if every major character has a distinct want AND a distinct need, every inference is labeled, and you've flagged at least one place where my characters' arcs and my stated theme pull in different directions.