Here’s a few tidbits to consider.  Dialogue can

• Be a vehicle for character
• Help draw relationships
• Reveal tensions
• Create atmosphere
• Help the reader read between the lines
• Illustrate underlying emotions
• Drive the plot forward

I will be pondering the above as I review dialogue in my own writing.

From Writing a Scene with Good Dialogue and Narration by Helga Schier, PhD over on Writer’s Digest.