The characters' past traumas can greatly influence their present decisions by shaping their beliefs, behaviors, and emotions. Traumatic experiences can create lasting effects on individuals, leading to defense mechanisms, coping strategies, and patterns of behavior that are influenced by their past experiences. These traumas can cause characters to react in certain ways, avoid certain situations, or have difficulty trusting others, all of which can impact their present decisions and actions. It is important to consider how the characters' past traumas have influenced their current mindset and choices in order to fully understand their behavior in the story.