Hero? Or just selfish?

In the beginning, when we are first introduced to La Motte he is seen as a scoundrel, as he is running away from Paris leaving behind debts and a warrant for his arrest. He journeys with his faithful wife who he seems rather impatient with, as she is rather reluctant to leave behind the comforts of their Parisian life. At first, I thought La Motte was going to be a detestable character, but then we reached the part where he saves Adeline. Adeline acts as if La Motte was her hero, but was he really all that heroic? My impression of him simply changed from scoundrel to selfish. The only reason he takes Adeline with him is to save his own skin. For La Motte saving his own skin seems to be a driving force behind most of his actions, in the beginning and through some of the other chapters. Adeline may think he's her savior, but in the end he just wants to be his own personal savior. I was sure my impression would eventually change as the novel went on and he would have some moment of revelation and do something good for someone else, a common formula for this type of character, but I like the selfish La Motte. La Motte's selfishness is literally a driving force behind the plot. Without La Motte being selfish the La Mottes would still be in Paris and Adeline would be in who knows what situation and there would be no book. So, therefore I completely agree with Radcliffe's decisions for the character. Or, at least the decisions reflecting the first impression I got.