I thinking "speaking to our condition" works best with relatable characters, so that depends on a.) Whether the story is plot or character-driven, and b.) How good the writer is. The characters in Star Wars (plot/special effects driven) never felt like anything but cardboard to me, but the Firefly (character-driven) crew always felt like real people. I've never connected with any literary characters, but that's because every "literary" novel I've read came across as stuffy and pretentious. I think you can tell when the author is writing because they care for the characters (as opposed to trying to sound smart) and the former is better written and more enjoyable- and "speaks to our condition" because you can see yourself in the character. *shrug*