So, Cluedrew, I think I missed (the importance of) this sentence when I was trying to summarize your points.
PhoenixPhyre, I wanted to come back to… hmmm… how much / the way that I agree with this point.
So, yes, I agree - usually, there exists some in character option that does not lead to problems.
There's a whole lot of fine print - like how aware (and socially adept) you need to be in order to successfully pick that option, and the fact that "usually" is not the same as "always" - but, at the highest level, we agree.
If, however, one particular character, when played with one particular group, *routinely* does not have good options, yes, that character is not a good fit, and a) the onus is on you to fix that, but b) the onus is on the GM (and the group) to facilitate that, and c) the onus is on everyone to evaluate how this came to be (ie, was there a failure in session 0, did the character grow badly, etc).
Further, if you *routinely* have characters who *routinely* don't have good answers, it's time for some serious evaluation.