That is very true, about Miles and Old Vor. You see it in his relationships, and in how tied to Barrayar he is. He might be socially liberal but he can't truly embrace galactic life because he's got his roots firmly twined around Barrayaran soil. Actually, Miles has a lot in common with native Barrayaran wildlife, now that I think of it.

I do agree about Elena, though obviously Cordelia didn't ever get to sit her down and give her the sex talk, at least not to the extent that I imagine she would've Miles (remember how Elena reacts to her first moments on Beta!)