i wonder wonder what's in a wonder ball

Do you ever wonder who the unknown people in your dreams are?
Are they real people, or just complete figments of imagination?
Last night I had a really intense dream which was on a directly parallel stream to my life and emotions CURRENTLY. Although almost everyone in it truly does exist in my life [somewhat, at least] there was one person who does not, and I spent the majority of the dream with that person.
The subconscious mind intrigues me so much. Do we create these humans in our subconscious through time of seeing people with characteristics that we like or dislike, and combining them into an imaginary being that represents certain emotions to us? That could certainly be it.
It's incredible [both negatively and positively] how a dream can allow you to reach what your arm's length cannot, and make it feel so real. I could have gotten lost in my dream last night, with little desire to escape after the end's result.