How or why does the plight of a character in imaginative literature concern a student in academic culture?

Because those plights of imaginary characters have been based on real life problems and troubles that can happen to anyone of us. These plights should also concern a student in academic culture because they can show him how to deal with those problems should they happen to them, and what to do in order to solve them. Books and imaginary events have many moral and educational messages in them that are relevant for real life, outside of books, as well.