If readers believe Bora Horza Gobuchul is "scum" they haven't read the book very well.
Next I'll be reading that Cheradenine Zakalwe in "Use of Weapons" is a good guy.
I don't want to go full Rick-and-Morty copypasta, but Banks' SF is a bit more mature and complex than most others. If you've only read US writers you might miss a lot.