So to save people do you just need to talk to them as much as possible at the bar and the landing?

That, and I think that you also have to choose the right answers to some of their questions, but I'm not 100% certain of that part.

Yeah @ReyGitano is right. I read a pretty extensive walk-through on how to save guys in that game, and whilst I'm not going to say it was busted, because I like the fact that saving people is hard, nothing is ever really explained in how to save people.

It's on the Catherine wikia if I remember right, but you might be better off just playing through the game. It always kinda bothers me when you see the strings attached to that kind of thing.